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KHISS   KRINGLE'S 


CHRISTMAS   TREE 


HOLIDAY  PRESENT 


BOYS    AND    GIRLS 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  GRIGG  &  ELLIOT. 

1847. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  m  the  year  1845,  by 

E.    FERRETT  &   CO. 

in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States 

in  and  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


B.    M.   DUSENBERY,    STEREOTYPER. 


GROSSMAN   AND   WORLEY,   PRINTERS. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


Fashions  change,  and  of  late  Christmas  Trees  are 
becoming  more  common  than  in  former  times.  The 
practice  of  hanging  up  stockings  in  the  chimney, 
corner  for  Kriss  Kringle  to  fill  with  toys,  pretty 
books,  bon-bons,  &c,  for  good  children,  and  rods 
for  naughty  children,  is  being  superseded  by  that  of 
placing  a  Christmas  Tree  on  the  table  to  await  the 
annual  visit  of  the  worthy  Santa  Klaus.  He  has, 
with  his  usual  good  nature,  accommodated  himself  to 
this  change  in  the  popular  taste ;  and  having  desired 
a  literary  gentleman  to  prepare  his  favourite  Christ- 
mas present  in  accordance  with  this  state  of  things, 
the  following  volume  is  the  result  of  the  new  arrange- 
ment, and  all  parents,  guardians,  uncles,  aunts,  and 
cousins,  who  are  desirous  to  conform  to  the  most  ap- 
proved fashion,  will  take  care  to  hang  one,  two,  or  a 
dozen  copies  of  the  book  on  their  Christmas  Tree  for 
1847. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

The  Mysterious  Cup,       -  9 

Fiery  Water,       -         -  14 

The  Charitable  Widow,  -  17 

The  Rain,  -         -         -    -  19 

Everything  for  the  Best,  20 
The  Little  Maid  and  the 

Farmer  Boy,        -         -  22 

The  Discontented  Tree,  -  24 

The  Christmas  Tree,   -  26 

Weeds  and  Flowers,        -  28 

The  Field  Mouse,         -  31 

The  African  Wood  Pigeon,  35 

The  Peaches,  36 
The  Little  Tree  that  went 

Walking,          -         -  37 

The  Rabbits,                     -  40 

The  Three  Swans,       -  42 

The  Sheep,  ...  46 
The  Great  Bird  of  Para- 

disc               -         -  49 

The  Flowers,       -         -  50 

A  Windy  Day,        -         -  59 

The  Village  Blacksmith,  57 
The  Old  Saddle  and  Crutches  59 

How  to  be  Great,         -  66 

The  White  Pigeon,          -  69 


Page 

The  Social  Bullfinch,  -  73 

The  Christmas  Gift,         -  74 

Who  made  the  Pigeons  ?  78 

The  Golden  Boy,          -  82 

The  Cedar  Bird,      -         -  89 

The  Strawberries,        -  92 

The  Picture,                     -  94 
Rice  Bird,  or  Bob-O'Linkum,  99 

The  Fox  and  the  Cock,   -  102 

The  Unknown  Patient,  104 

The  Reconciliation,         -  110 

The  Rain  Drop,           -  113 

The  Common  Bullfinch,  1 1 7 

The  Chinchilla,       -         -  121 

Willy  and  the  Beggar  Girl,  123 

LaGalette            -         -  129 

The  Arbor,      -         -         -  131 

The  Kitchen,       -        -  135 

Disobedience,           -        -  137 

Magic  Picture,    -         -  142 

Pride,     -         -         -         -  143 

The  Lion  and  the  Ass,  146 

The  Lamp  Lighter,          -  149 

The  English  Cabriolet,  153 

Travelling  among  the  Alps,  157 

The  Bee,     ...  158 
Cvi) 


LIST  OF  EMBELLISHMENTS. 


Page 

Page 

The  Mysterious  Cup, 

9 

Boys  Playing  Ball, 

91 

Child  at  Prayer,  - 

13 

Tail  Piece, 

93 

The  Charitable  Widow,  - 

16 

The  Picture,  - 

94 

Boy  and  Precipice, 

21 

Girl  Swinging,     - 

96 

The  Little  Maid  and  the 

Rice  Bird  or  Bob  O'Linkun 

,   98 

Farmer  Boy,    - 

22 

Indians  and  Canoe, 

101 

Child  with  Fruit,     - 

23 

A  Fox,   .... 

103 

Boy  and  Butterfly, 

27 

The  Unknown  Patient, 

104 

Weeds  and  Flowers, 

28 

Boy  and  Wind  Mill, 

109 

Vase  of  Flowers, 

30 

The  Sisters, 

110 

Field  Mice,     - 

32 

The  Old  Oak, 

112 

African  Wood  Pigeon, 

34 

Gathering  Fruit, 

114 

Boy  and  Cake, 

39 

The  Common  Bullfinch, 

116 

The  Rabbits, 

40 

Boys  Flying  Kite, 

118 

Boy  Swinging-, 

41 

The  Chinchilla, 

120 

Swan,          - 

45 

Goat  and  Kid,     - 

122 

The  Great  Bird  of  Paradise, 

48 

Woman  Sweeping,  - 

126 

A  Windy  Day,    - 

52 

La  Galette, 

128 

Boys  Skating, 

54 

The  Arbor,     - 

131 

The  Village  Blacksmith, 

56 

School  Boys  Playing,  - 

134 

Boy  and  Grayhounds, 

65 

The  Kitchen, 

135 

How  to  be  Great, 

66 

Boy  and  Vine,     - 

137 

A  Young  Student, 

68 

Trading  with  Indians,     - 

145 

Pigeon,        ... 

70 

The  Lamp  Lighter, 

148 

The  Social  Bullfinch,       - 

72 

Going  to  Church,    - 

150 

Tail  Piece, 

77 

The  English  Cabriolet, 

152 

Birds,     - 

78 

Horseman,      - 

154 

The  Cedar  Bird, 

88 

Travelling  among  the  Alps,  156 

(vii) 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  CUP. 

Tell  us,  mother,  about  the  mys- 
terious cup  V\  said  Henry. 

O  yes,  do,  mother !"  and  all  the 
little  folks  gathered  about  mamma. 

"  Did  Kriss  Kringle  bring  the 
cup  ?"  asked  little  Susy. 

"  No,  dear." 

"  But  wont  he  bring  me  a  beauty 
of  a  cup,  with  my  name  on  it,  all 
in  gold  ?  Wont  he  hang  it  on  my 
Christmas  tree  V9 


(9) 


10  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

"  If  you  are  a  good  girl,  I  think  he  will,  Susy," 
said  mother. 

"  O,  I  shall  have  a  dear  little  cup,  and  Kriss  Krin- 
gle  will  bring  it !"  cried  Susy,  dancing  about. 

"  Yes,  but  I  want  to  hear  about  the  mysterious 
cup  !"  said  Henry.  "  I  saw  a  curious  picture  of  it. 
An  old  man  and  a  young  man  at  a  table,  with  a 
book  and  a  cup  on  it,  and  a  beautiful  young  woman 
over  it,  like  as  if  she  were  in  the  clouds.  What  did 
it  all  mean,  mother  ?" 

"  There  was  once  a  boy,"  began  the  mother,  "  and 
he  had  an  only  sister.  She  wras  very  good  and  very 
beautiful.  But  the  boy  did  not  love  her  as  he  ought 
to  have  done.  He  very  often  spoke  unkindly  to  her, 
and  never  tried  to  make  her  happy.  One  day  his 
father  gave  him  some  money,  and  with  this  money 
he  bought  himself  a  pretty  cup:  just  such  a  one  as 
Susy  hopes  Kriss  Kringle  will  hang  upon  her  Christ- 
mas tree.  When  he  brought  it  home,  his  sister 
Anna  said — 

"  *  O  brother,  what  a  dear  little  cup  you  have  got. 
Do  let  me  see  it.' 

" '  No,  I  will  not !'  replied  the  ill-natured  boy. 
'  It 's  my  cup,  and  you  shall  not  have  it.' 

" '  O  yes,  do,  William,'  said  Anna.  '  It  is  so 
pretty  1  I  wish  you  would.'  And,  as  Anna  said 
this,  she  reached  out  her  hand,  and  took  hold  of  the 
cup.  But,  as  she  did  so,  William  pushed  her  off  so 
hard,  that  she  fell  over  upon  the  floor,  and  hurt  her- 
self very  badly.  She  did  not  cry  much,  and  because 
she  did  not  cry  as  loud  as  he  would  have  done,  Wil- 
liam did  not  think  the  fall  of  any  consequence. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS    CUP.  11 

"  Anna  got  up,  and  went  off  to  her  mother's  cham- 
ber, but  not  until  she  had  dried  her  tears.  After  she 
nad  got  there,  she  felt  sick,  and  lay  down  upon  the 
bed.  That  night  she  was  taken  with  a  violent  fever, 
from  which  she  never  got  well. 

"  In  the  morning,  William,  who  had  felt  very  sorry 
for  what  he  had  done,  went  into  his  mother's  cham- 
ber to  see  Anna ;  but  she  was  out  of  her  head,  and 
did  not  know  him.  He  wanted  to  tell  her  he  was 
very  sorry,  and  ask  her  to  forgive  him.  But  he 
could  not,  for  she  was  too  sick. 

"  In  six  days  she  died,  and  William  saw  her  shut 
up  in  a  coffin,  and  buried  in  the  damp  cold  ground, 
and  she  had  never  spoken  to  him  since  he  had  treat- 
ed her  so  unkindly,  to  say  that  she  forgave  him. 

"  Oh,  how  unhappy  he  was  !  He  thought  of  his 
unkindness  about  the  cup,  and  wished  a  hundred 
and  a  hundred  times  that  he  had  given  it  to  Anna. 
But  it  was  now  too  late.  She  had  gone  to  be  with 
the  good  angels,  who  would  love  her,  and  always  be 
kind  to  her. 

"  William  grew  up  to  be  a  young  man,  but  he  often 
thought  of  his  dear  sister  Anna,  and  the  thought 
made  him  feel  sad.  One  day  he  was  sitting  alone, 
and  thinking  about  past  times.  The  sweet  face  of 
his  sister  Anna  came  up  before  him,  and  then  he 
thought  about  the  cup,  and  felt  sad  again.  He  had 
oeen  sitting  for  what  seemed  to  him  about  an  hour, 
when  the  door  opened  and  an  old  man  of  a  strange 
appearance  came  in.  He  had  in  his  hand  a  goblet 
of  costly  and  beautiful  workmanship.     Around  its 


12  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

Droad  foot  ran  a  wreath  of  flowers,  twined  with  myr- 
tles, and  various  other  leaves  and  fruits.  Another 
ring,  only  richer,  and  adorned  with  figures  of  chil- 
dren, and  animals  playing  with  them,  wound  itself 
Tound  the  centre  of  the  cup.  All  within  and  with- 
out it  sparkled  with  gold. 

"  The  old  man  looked  benignly  at  William  for  a 
little  while,  and  then  beckoned  to  him.  William 
rose  and  followed.  He  led  him  through  a  garden, 
in  which  were  flowers,  and  singing  birds,  into  a 
beautiful  summer  house,  in  the  centre  of  which  stood 
a  table.  Upon  this  table  he  placed  the  cup  he  held 
in  his  hand,  and  also  a  large  book,  clasped  with 
golden  clasps,  and  then  again  looked  the  young  man 
in  the  face. 

"  After  this  he  poured  something  into  the  cup,  and 
instantly  there  arose  a  reddish  cloud,  which  floated 
in  circles  over  the  mouth  of  the  cup.  A  bright  point 
darted  up  through  the  cloudy  circles,  and  suddenly 
as  it  were,  an  eye  looked  out  from  the  midst ;  above 
golden  locks  flowed  in  ringlets ;  then  a  smiling  face 
appeared,  with  its  soft  blue  eyes,  delicate  cheeks, 
and  lovely  mouth ;  and  William  looked  upon  his 
long  mourned  sister. 

"  *  Anna!  dear  Anna !'  he  cried,  springing  forward. 

"  The  beautiful  vision  smiled  lovingly  upon  him, 
and  then  vanished  from  his  sight.  All  became  sud- 
denly dark  around  him.  When  he  again  looked  up, 
he  was  sitting  in  his  own  room." 

"  O  mother !  Was  all  that  true  ?  Did  he  see  his 
sister  Vs 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    CUP. 


13 


"  In  a  dream  he  did,  Henry." 
"  Was  it  all  a  dream  then,  dear  mother." 
"  Yes,  my  love.    But  it  was  a  good  dream  to  him; 
for  when  he  thought  of  his  sister  again,  he  did  not 
feel  sad ;  he  knew  that  she  had  forgiven  him,  and 
that  she  loved  him  more  than  ever  she  did." 
"  She  was  an  angel,  was  she  not,  mother  ?" 
"  Yes,  dear.    An  angel  in  heaven.   And  she  loved 
her  brother  very  much." 

"  And  we  shall  all  be  angels,  if  we  are  good," 
said  Susy. 

"  Oh  yes.  All  of  us,"  replied  the  mother,  wiping 
the  moisture  from  her  eyes,  that  her  dear  children's 
questions  had  caused  to  rise  there.  Mothers  al- 
ways love  to  have  their  children  think  and  talk 
about  heaven  and  the  angels. 


14  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


FIERY  WATER. 


HAT  is  not  thine,  child,  that  do 
thou  never  touch,  because  it  burns. 
'A  boy  once  had  his  heart  burnt 
out,  because  he  had  stolen. 

This  boy  used  to  take  every- 
thing he  saw,  without  asking  leave, 
although  he  knew  it  was  a  sin.  He  once 
stole  two  pieces  of  lime,  and  hid  them  inside 
his  jacket,  and  going  away,  he  met  another 
boy,  who  was  taking  the  horses  into  the  wa- 
ter. Well,  our  little  thief  jumped  on  one  of 
the  horses,  and  the  two  boys  went  in  this  manner  into 
the  water  to  let  the  horses  drink.  When  he  got  in 
some  distance,  his  horse  fell  down,  and  he  was 
thrown  off,  and  began  to  swim  ashore.  Suddenly 
he  screamed  out,  "  Help !  help !  I  am  burning." 
The  people  about  took  no  notice,  for  they  knew 
that  water  could  not  burn  him.  But  long  before  he 
could  reach  the  land,  he  was  dead,  quite  dead,  and 
his  heart  burnt  completely  out  of  him.  Remember, 
child,  what  is  not  thine,  that  do  thou  never  touch, 
for  it  will  burn  you  in  your  conscience,  if  no- 
where else. 


THE  CHARITABLE  WIDOW. 


(16) 


THE  CHARITABLE  WIDOW.  17 


THE  CHARITABLE  WIDOW. 

A   FRENCH  STORY. 

OULD   you   visit    the   suburbs    of 
Paris,  and  enter  some  of  those  hum- 
ble dwellings,  you  would,  no  doubt, 
discover  many  such  families  as  the 
one  I  am  about  to  describe. 
A  woman  of  thirty  years  old,  lives  in  the 
Faubourg  St.  Antoine,  occupying  a  miserable 
little  room  in  a  fifth  story.     She  is  a  widow, 
with  four  children. 

Her  husband,  an  honest  mechanic,  had 
fallen  sick,  and  died,  leaving  her  with  these 
four  children  to  provide  for ;  the  eldest  of  whom  was 
only  seven  years  old.  Understanding  the  necessity 
of  prompt  exertion,  she  dried  her  tears,  and  thought 
only  of  procuring  bread  for  the  orphans. 

There  are,  among  the  lower  classes,  some  whom 
sorrow  and  suffering  cannot  dishearten — who  receive 
all  misfortunes  without  a  murmur,  as  if  it  were  but 
their  due. 

Energy  can,  in  most  cases,  accomplish  its  ends. 
By  dint  of  labour,  this  poor  widow  succeeded  in 
keeping  her  children  from  starving.  She  rose  at 
daylight,  and  sat  up  late,  working  by  the  dim  light 
of  a  poor  lamp,  doing  as  much  as  any  two  other 
2 


18  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

women,  and  keeping  up,  all  the  while,  an  appearance 
of  strict  cleanliness  and  order  in  her  little  home. 

For  her  there  was  no  recreation,  no  afternoon 
walk,  no  rest ;  but  she  never  complained.  Her  eldest 
daughter  is  now  ten  years  old,  and  already  begins 
to  assist  her  mother. 

She  teaches  the  younger  ones  to  read,  whilst  the 
little  boy  of  three  years  old,  rolls  over  the  floor,  and 
says  he  wants  to  be  a  man,  and  earn  money  to  buy 
something  pretty  for  "  mamma." 

Sunday  mornings  the  widow  gets  up  a  little  earlier 
than  usual,  and  dresses  them  all  in  their  best  clothe 
so  that  when  they  go  out,  every  one  is  struck  wi 
the  extreme  neatness  of  their  appearance. 

At  meal  times,  the  widow  gives  each  child  its 
portion  of  bread :  there  is  enough,  and  but  enough. 
But  if  a  beggar  happens  to  knock  at  the  door,  it  13 
always  opened  to  him. 

"  My  children,"  says  the  widow,  "  here  is  one  who 
has  still  less  than  we,  for  we  have  enough  to  live  on. 
Let  us  each  try  and  do  with  a  little  less ;  arid  we 
will  then  have  some  for  him." 

At  these  words,  the  children  are  willing  to  share 
their  meal  with  the  destitute.     Far  from  complain- 
ing, one  says,  "  I  might  have  given  more ;"  another 
I   am  not  hungry,  to-day."     Even   the  youngest 
cries  out, 

"  Give  the  poor  man  all  my  bread.  When  I  am 
a  man,  I  shall  have  plenty." 

The  widow  embraces  her  children,  and  is  happy. 


THE  RAIN.  19 


THE  RAIN. 

HE  rain,  the  rain,  the  dripping  rain, 

I  love  its  friendly  patter, 
As  it  taps  upon  my  window  pane, 

Singing  spatter,  spatter,  spatter. 


I  love  to  feel  it  on  my  face, 
In  the  warm  summer  weather ; 

It  kisses  me  with  such  a  grace, 
We  are  good  friends  together. 

I  like  to  see  the  toadies  hop, 

They  are  so  very  funny ; 
And  love  the  rain  so,  every  drop, 

More  than  the  bee  his  honey. 

I  *ve  counted  twenty  in  a  bunch, 

After  a  summer  shower, 
But  where  they  came  from  all  at  once, 

Defies  my  guessing  power. 

I  love  to  hear  the  thunder  peal, 
And  watch  the  lightning's  gliding. 

The  little  birds  no  terror  feel, 
Should  I  be  less  confiding  1 


20  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

But  oh !  I  love  much  more  to  see, 

The  brilliant  bow  of  heaven ! 
That  just  a  moment  looks  on  me, 

Then  melts  like  light  at  even. 

Mother  says,  that  the  tears  that  are  real  and 
true, 
Which  come  from  the  wish  for  Tightness, 
Make  a  bow  in  our  hearts,  when  Love  peeps 
through, 
And  fills  them  with  its  brightness. 


EVERYTHING  FOR  THE  BEST. 

NE  evening  a  good  old  man  came 
to  the  gates  of  a  town  and  knocked 
for  admittance.  It  happened,  how- 
ever, that  no  one  opened  unto  him, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  pass  the  nigh 
on  the  road  side,  in  the  open  air. 
all  for  the  best,"  said  he,  and  laid 

himself  down. 

At  his  side  stood  his  lantern,  and  his  ass. 

In  the  night  there  came  a  rain  and  put  out 

his  light. 


EVERYTHING  FOR  THE  BEST.  21 

"  It  is  all  for  the  best,"  said  the  old  man. 

A  lion  came  along  and  eat  up  his  ass. 

"  It  is  all  for  the  best,"  said  the  old  man.  And 
he  patiently  waited  for  the  dawn. 

In  the  morning,  he  found  the  gates  open,  the  city 
plundered  and  laid  waste.  A  troop  of  robbers  had 
been  there  all  night,  and  had  made  the  inhabitants 
prisoners,  and  robbed  them  of  all  they  possessed. 

Then  exclaimed  the  old  man,  "  It  is  indeed  for  the 
best  that  I  did  not  enter  the  city  in  time  to  share  the 
melancholy  fate  .of  these  citizens." 


22 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  LITTLE  MAID  AND  THE  FARMER  BOY. 

OT  shines  the  sun 

From  the  sky  of  June ; 
And  the  hours  have  passed 

Until  almost  noon ; 
And  the  farmer  boy 

Hath  aweary  grown, 
And  sits  himself  down 
On  an  old  gray  stone, 
There  to  rest  for  awhile 

From  his  labor,  and  then 
To  plough  with  old  Dobbin 
And  Tom  again. 


THE  LITTLE  MAID  AND  THE  FARMER  BOY. 

Tired  and  thirsty, 

He  sat  in  the  shade, 
When  there  came,  singing  gaily, 

A  neat  little  maid. 
She  had  been  to  the  spring 

With  her  pitcher  and  cup, 
To  dip  from  its  bosom 

The  cool  water  up. 

"  O  give  me  a  drink," 

The  farmer  boy  said, 
"  A  drink  from  your  pitcher, 

My  good  little  maid." 
The  maid  stopt  and  gave  him 

Cool  water,  and  then, 
The  farmer  boy  went 

To  his  ploughing  again. 


23 


24  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


THE  DISCONTENTED  TEEE. 


3TREE  stood  in  the  wood,  which  bore 
long  sharp  thorns,  instead  of  leaves. 
This  made  the  tree  unhappy  and  dis- 
contented. So  it  complained  very 
much,  saying, 

"  All  my  companions  have  leaves,  beautiful 
leaves — whilst  I  must  content  myself  with 
these  ugly  thorns.  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  had 
leaves,  all  of  solid  gold  1" 

Night  came  on — the  tree  went  to  sleep  and 
woke  again  early  in  the  morning,  and  behold,  he  had 
a  fine  set  of  golden  leaves.  "Now  am  I  indeed 
proud,"  said  he — "  no  other  tree  in  the  forest  has 
golden  leaves." 

But,  as  evening  approached,  there  came  a  Jew 
hrough  the  wood,  with   a  great  bag  and  a  great 
beard.     He  saw  the  golden  leaves,  broke  them  all 
off,  put  them  in  his  sack,  and  went  on  his  way. 

Then  lamented  the  tree  his  melancholy  fate,  say- 
ing, "  Alas,  me  !  my  golden  leaves  are  all  gone ;  how 
I  wish  I  had  leaves  of  clear  bright  glass." 

Night  came  on — the  tree  went  to  sleep  and  woke 
again  early  in  the  morning;  and,  behold,  he  had  a 
fine  set  of  clear,  bright  glass  leaves.     "  Now  am  I 


THE  DISCONTENTED  TREE.  25 

indeed  proud,"  said  he — "  for  no  other  tree  in  the 
forest  has  glass  leaves.  No  tree  glitters  as  I  do  in 
the  morning  sun." 

But  there  came  a  great  wind,  and  a  violent  storm, 
and  the  glass  leaves  lay  strewed  around  in  melan- 
choly ruin. 

Then  lamented  the  tree  his  sad  fate,  saying,  "  My 
beautiful  leaves  of  glass  lie  in  the  dust,  whilst  my 
companions  still  retain  their  green  ones.  Oh,  how 
I  wish  I  too  had  green  leaves  like  them." 

Night  came  on.  The  tree  went  to  sleep,  and 
woke  again  early  in  the  morning,  and,  behold,  he 
was  covered  with  bright  green  leaves.  He  laughed 
out  loud  for  joy,  saying,  "Now,  indeed,  am  I  beau- 
tiful, and  need  not  be  ashamed  of  myself!" 

But  there  came  a  wild  goat  with  her  young  ones, 
seeking  tender  new  leaves  for  food,  and  they  at- 
tacked the  poor  tree,  and  eat  off  every  leaf  to  the 
stump. 

Then  was  the  tree  again  empty,  and  said  to  him- 
self with  tears,  "  Now  I  wish  for  no  more  leaves,  be 
lhey  green,  yellow,  or  red.  But  give  me  back  my 
own  thorns  that  I  once  despised  so  much,  and  joy- 
fully will  I  greet  them  and  be  content." 

Night  came  on — the  little  tree  went  to  sleep,  and 
woke  again  early  in  the  morning,  and,  behold,  he 
laughed,  and  laughed  again,  in  the  sunshine ;  and 
all  the  trees  around  laughed  too,  till  the  echo  rang 
through  the  forest. 

Why  did  the  little  tree  laugh,  and  why  did  the 
other  trees  laugh  around  him  ? 
2 


26  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

Because,  in  the  night,  all  his  sharp  thorns  had 
come  back.  If  any  one  will  go  into  the  forest,  he 
may  see  for  himself,  but  he  had  better  not  touch  the 
thorns.  Why  not  '\  Because  they  will  wound  him 
with  their  sharp  points. 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TEEE. 

ARLY  one  Christmas  Eve,  a  poor 
little  child,  who  had  no  parents, 
walked  through  the  town.  He  saw 
in  every  window*  the  customary  illu- 
minations, and,  looking  through  into 
the  houses,  he  saw  many  and  many  a  gaily 
decked  Christmas  tree. 

The  little  child  wept,  and  said,  every  child 
has  a  Christmas  tree,  but  I  am  poor  and  for- 
saken, and  have  none.  I  am  alone  in  this 
strange  land.  Will  no  one  let  me  in  at 
any  house,  so  that  I,  too,  may  enjoy  some  of  the 
merriment  ? 

And  he  knocked  at  gate  and  door,  but  no  one 
heard  him,  for  it  was  Christmas  Eve — no  one  had 
any  ears  for  the  poor  little  child  in  a  strange  land. 
"  Oh,  Jesus  Christ,"  prayed    the   little   child,  "  I 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


27 


have  no  mother  nor  father,  and  am  alone  in  a  strange 
land ;  and  no  one  will  open  a  door  unto  me,  so  that 
I  may  go  in,  and  be  merry." 

The  little  child  rubbed  his  hands,  for  they  were 
stiff  with  cold,  and  he  stood  still  in  the  narrow 
street. 

Lo,  a  shining  light  moved  down  the  street,  and 
the  little  child  beheld  another  child  in  shining  white 
clothes  coming  towards  him. 

"  I  am  Christkindlein,"  said  the  child,  "  and  I 
will  not  forget  you,  when  you  are  forgotten  by  every 
one  else.  You  have  no  house  to  go  to,  but  I  will 
give  you  a  beautiful  Christmas  tree,  here,  in  the 
street.*" 

And  Christkindlein  held  his  hand  up  towards 
heaven,  and  a  beautiful  star-spangled  Christmas  tree 
shone  in  the  sky — so  far,  and  yet  so  near — and  the 
stars  glittered  and  the  little  child  looked  on  his 
heavenly  Christmas  tree  with  great  joy. 

It  wras  to  him  like  a  dream  ;  for  angels  came  down 
and  carried  him  up  to  the  tree. 

The  poor  little  child  is  now  gone  back  to  his  na- 
tive place,  but  he  does  not  forget  his  heavenly 
Christmas  tree. 


28 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


WEEDS  AND  FLOWEKS. 

OUNG  Willy  Thompson  had  lived 
all  his  life  in  a  large  city,  and  had 
only  seen  the  flowers  growing  in 
the  pots  and  small  garden  beds. 
When  he  was  ten  years  old,  he  was 
sent  to  the  house  of  an  uncle,  who  lived 
in  the  country  far  away  from  town. 

On  the  morning  after  his  arrival,  he 
walked  out  with  his  uncle  to  look  at  the 
many  objects  so  attractive  to  the  eyes  of 
a  city  lad.     The  chickens,  the  ducks,  and 


WEEDS   AND    FLOWERS.  29 

the  geese,  the  cows  and  horses,  the  sheep  and  oxen 
all  were  looked  at  and  admired. 

"  Come  Willy,  let  us  now  go  into  the  garden,  ana 
see  the  flowers,"  said  the  kind  uncle,  after  he  had 
shown  him  all  the  curiosities  of  the  barn-yard.  And 
Willy  ran  gladly  after  his  uncle. 

"  O,  see !  what  a  beautiful  flower,"  and  Willy 
stooped  down,  and  was  about  plucking  the  blossom 
of  an  offensive  weed. 

"  No — no,  Willy,"  said  his  uncle,  "  don't  touch 
that!  It  isn't  a  sweet  flower,  only  a  vile  weed. 
Come  along  with  me,  and  I  will  show  you  plenty  of 
real,  beautiful,  sweet  smelling  flowers." 

So  Willy  went  on  with  his  uncle,  and  soon  came 
to  the  garden,  filled  with  the  loveliest  flowers  of  the 
season. 

'*  Now,  my  boy,  gather  as  many  as  you  please," 
said  his  uncle,  and  Willy  soon  had  both  hands  full 
of  the  sweetest  flowers  in  the  garden. 

As  they  went  back  to  the  house,  they  passed  the 
gay  weed  that  Willy  had  stooped  to  pluck. 

"  But  why  isn't  that  a  sweet  flower,  too,  uncle  ? 
It  is  very  pretty." 

Willy's  uncle  stooped  down  and  pulled  the  blos- 
soming weed,  and  handing  it  to  the  boy,  he  said — 

"  Smell  it."  Willy  smelled  it,  and  then  threw  it 
quickly  on  the  ground. 

"  Now,  smell  this  rose." 

"  Oh,  how  sweet !  But  that  weed  smelled  very 
bad." 

"  You  now  see  that  there  is  some  difference  be- 


30 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


tween  a  flower  and  a  weed.  One  is  not  only  beau- 
tiful to  look  upon,  but  its  quality  is  different,  and  that 
quality  sends  forth  a  delicious  odor.  As  you  grow 
older,  my  dear  boy,  and  enter  into  the  world  as  a 
man,  remember  how  you  were  once  deceived  by  a 
weed.  Do  not  place  confidence  in  every  one  who 
puts  on  a  show  of  goodness — who  presents  a  beauti- 
ful and  attractive  exterior — but  judge  by  the  order 
that  proceeds  from  them ;  that  is  by  the  acts  that 
show  forth  their  true  character. 


THE  FIELD  MOUSE.  31 


THE  FIELD  MOUSE, 


BY  MRS.  M.  E.  ROBBINS. 

OOR,  wee  mousie, 

What  can  you  do? 
Your  nice  little  house 

The  plough  has  passed  through. 

All  scattered  wide 

Are  your  nuts  and  grains, 
And  your  bits  of  moss 

Which  cost  such  pains. 

Ah !  very  sad 

I  know  you  '11  be, 
When  you  come  back, 

Such  waste  to  see. 

You  will  not  sit 

And  grumble  though ; 
But  look  about 

For  what  you  may  do, 

To  build  yourself 

Another  nest, 
Where  you  and  your  wee  ones. 

May  safely  rest. 


32 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


Do  find  a  place 

Where  ploughs  don't  come, 
Nor  owls  or  weasels 

Ever  roam. 

Little  brown  mouse, 

I  grieve  for  you ; 
And  being  sorry 

Is  all  I  can  do. 

When  many  sad  things 

To  vex  me  come, 
I  '11  think  of  you 

And  your  spoiled  home, 

And  go  to  work 

Right  cheerfully, 
And  make  the  best 

Of  what  must  be. 


il^lg 


THE  AFRICAN  WOOD  PIGEON. 


(34) 


THE  AFRICAN  WOOD  PIGEON.  35 


THE  AFRICAN  WOOD  PIGEON. 


NQUESTIONABLY  this  is  a  very 
beautiful  bird !  She  was  brought 
from  the  southern  part  of  Africa, 
where  she  was  living  in  the  woods, 
very  quietly  bringing  up  her  little 
family  of  white-headed  pigeons,  like 
herself,  when,  one  day,  a  Hottentot,  who  had 
been  promised  a  silver  dollar  for  one  of  these 
beautiful  birds,  contrived  to  surprise  her  as  she 
was  sitting  on  her  nest  and  carried  her  off 
with  her  little  ones,  to  a  rich  English  merchant 
at  Cape  Town.  Poor  bird  !  She  was  in  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  ;  and  although  he  gave  her  a  beau- 
tiful cage  to  live  in,  she  was  separated  from  her 
children,  and  mourned  and  mourned  for  many  days, 
till,  at  last,  one  morning  when  the  servant  came  to 
give  her  her  breakfast  of  seeds,  he  found  the  poor 
little  white-headed  pigeon  lying  on  her  back  in  the 
cage.     She  had  died  of  grief. 


36 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  PEACHES. 


IVE  beautiful  peaches  were  once 
brought  from  the  town  by  a  coun- 
'tryman.  His  children  looked  upon 
this  fruit  for  the  first  time,  and  were 
very  much  astonished,  and  admired 
its  beautiful  form  and  colour.  The 
countryman  gave  one  to  his  wife,  and  one 
to  each  of  the  four  boys. 

At  evening,  as  the  boys  were  going  to 

bed,  the  father  asked  them — "  How  did  you 

like  the  peaches?" 

"  It  was  delightful,  father,"  answered   the  oldest 

Doy.     "  I  have  kept  the  stone   of  mine,  and  will 

plant  it,  and  have  a  peach  tree." 

"  That  is  right,  my  son,  and  shows  a  careful  dis- 
position, which  well  beseems  a  farmer." 

"  I  eat  mine,"  said  the  youngest  son,  "  and  threw 

the  stone  away ;  and  my  mother  gave  me  half  of 

hers.     Oh,  how  good  it  was  I   so  soft  and  so  sweet." 

"  That,"  said  the  father,  "  was  a  childish  act ;  it  is 

o  be  hoped  you  will  improve." 

"  I,"  said  the  second  son,  "  picked  up  the  stone 
which  my  little  brother  threw  away,  and  cracked  it 
— there  was  a  sweet  kernel  in  it.  But  I  sold  my 
own  peach,  and  made  enough  by  it  to  buy  several 
the  next  time  I  go  to  town." 

The  father  shook  his  head,  saying,  "  That  was 


THE    LITTLE    TREE    THAT    WENT    WALKING.        37 

wisely  done,  but  yet — it  was  not  a  natural  nor  a 
vouthful  act.  God  send  that  you  be  never  a  mer- 
chant !" 

"  And  you,  Edmund  V*  said  the  father. 

Edmund  replied,  "  I  gave  my  peach  to  our  neigh- 
bour's son  who  has  a  lever.  He  did  not  wish  to 
take  it,  but  I  laid  it  on  his  bed  and  ran  away." 

"  Who, '  said  the  father,  "  has  made  the  best  use 
of  his  peach  ?" 

"  Edmund,"  was  the  answer  from  all  sides,  but 
Edmund  said  nothing.  Then  the  mother  embraced 
nim  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 


THE  LITTLE  TREE  THAT  WENT  WALKING. 

UST  in  the  edge  of  a  forest  stood  a 
^little  tree.     It  was  a  very  good  situa- 
tion, but   busies  grew  thick  on  all 
.sides,  and  the  little- tree  thought  him- 
self crowded.     Then  said  he — 
"  I  cannot  stand  here.     I  will  go 
somewhere   else    and   find    a   better   place, 
where   there   are    no  bushes.     I  will   plant 
myself  there  all  alone,  and  dance." 

The  little  tree   went   away  and  found  a 
solitary  place,  and  he  planted  himself  there, 
and  danced. 


38  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

The  little  tree  liked  his  new  place  very  much.  A 
beautiful  stream  ran  by  his  feet,  and  cooled  them; 
the  sun  shone  brightly  on  his  little  branches,  and  a 
pleasant  wind  blew  about  him.  and  helped  him  when 
he  danced. 

The  little  tree  danced  and  jumped  all  summer 
long,  until  the  litile  leaves  fell  from  his  little  head. 
The  little  leaves  lay  on  all  sides  around  him,  and 
some  in  the  stream,  whilst  some  danced  in  the  wind. 

The  autumn  came,  and  the  little  tree  grew  cold. 
He  called  to  the  stream.  "  Give  me  back  my  little 
leaves,  so  that  I  may  have  a  winder  coat." 

But  the  stream  answered.  "  I  cannot  give  you 
back  your  little  leaves,  for  I  have  drunk  them,  and 
they  are  far  down  in  the  water." 

Then  the  little  tree  turned  to  the  sun  and  said, 
"  Give  me  back  my  little  leaves  which  are  strewed 
about  on  the  ground,  for  I  am  very  cold." 

But  the  sun  answered.  "  I  cannot  give  you  back 
your  little  leaves,  for  I  have  burnt  them  up  in  my 
hot  hand." 

Then  the  little  tree  turned  to  the  wind  and  said, 

"  Give  me  back  my  little  leaves,  for  I  am  cold." 

And  the  wind  made  answer.  "  I  cannot  give  you 
back  your  little  leaves.  I  have  swept  them  over  the 
nills  with  my  wings." 

Then  the  little  tree  stood  silent,  for  he  was  think- 
ing, and  he  thought,  "I  know  now  what  I  will  do. 
I  will  go  back  to  my  old  place  among  the  thick 
bushes  and  trees." 

And  he  went  back  to  his  old  place  and  asked  of 
the  first  tree.     "  Have  you  room  for  me  here  ?" 


THE   LITTLE    TREE    THAT    WENT    WALKING.        39 

"  No,"  answered  the  tree,  "  there  is  no  room  for 
you."  So  he  asked  from  tree  to  tree,  and  from  bush 
to  bush,  but  there  was  no  room  anywhere. 

So  he  went  sorrowfully  on,  and  was  very  cold, 
for  he  had  no  leaves ;  and  he  met  a  man  with  an 
axe  in  his  hand,  and  he  said  to  the  man — 

"  I  am  very  cold,  and  I  am  afraid  1  shall  die ; 
take  pity  on  me,  good  man  ;  cut  me  down  and  carry 
me  into  your  house,  and  make  a  fire  with  me  ;  this 
will  warm  you  and  me  too." 

The  man  took  his  axe,  and  cut  the  little  tree 
down,  and  cut  him  up  into  small  pieces,  and  took 
them  home  to  his  house,  and  put  them  in  the  stove, 
one  by  one. 

The  largest  piece  of  all,  the  wood-cutter  dropped 
before  our  house,  and  we  will  bring  it  .in  and  make 
a  fire  with  it,  and  cook  our  supper  by  it. 


40 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  RABBITS. 


COME  see  the  rabbits, 

And  call  them  "  bun,  bun," 
O  come  see  the  rabbits, 

Run,  brother,  run ! 
Papa  brought  them  home, 

And  he  says  they  shall  stay, 
And  be  ours  if  we'll  feed  them 

Three  times  every  day. 


The  dear  little  rabbits  ! 

I  fed  them  to  day, 
"With  leaves  from  the  garden 

While  you  were  away, 


THE    RABBITS. 


41 


There  are  old  ones  and  young  ones, 
Some  brown  and  some  white ; 

And  a  house  where  we'll  shut  them  up 
Safe  every  night. 

Their  ears  are  so  long, 

And  their  eyes  are  so  red, 
And  they  nestle  so  close 

In  their  snug  little  bed ! 
Come  !  see  the  dear  rabbits — 

O,  run  brother,  run ! 
They'll  come  when  you  call  to  them, 

"  Bunny,  bun,  bun !" 


**~  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  THREE  SWANS. 

^  UITE  near  to  a  certain  town  on  the 
Neckar,  there  is  a  little  sea,  of  which 
,  the  following  story  is  related. 
»     A  boy  sat  once  on  the  shore,  and 
played  with  the  flowers.     He  was 
all  alone.     Often  had  he  looked  into 
the  bright  clear  waters,  and  wished 
he  could  swim ;  and  as  he  looked,  there 
came  three  beautiful  white  swans  towards 
him.     The  boy  was  delighted,  and  emptied 
his  pockets  of  all  the  crumbs  he  could  find 
eatthtmW  nt°  the  Water  to  the  swans,  who" 

As  they  came  close  to  the  shore,  he  stretched  out 
his  hands  to  try  to  catch  them ;  but  they  moved  off 
His  desire  to  possess  them  became  stronger,  and 
perceiving  a  little  board  near,  he  laid  it  on  the 
water  and,  seating  himself  on  it,  used  his  hands  for 
a  paddle,  and  followed  the  swans,  who  kept  iust  be- 
yond his  reach.  r  J 
*    After  a  while  he  found  himself  in  the  open  sea, 

foTfea^        ^       ^  °f  ^  '*  and   he  trembled 
But  the  three  swans  came  up  to  him  with  a  con- 


THE  THREE  SWANS.  43 

soling  look,  as  if  to  reassure  him,  and  as  their 
graceful  forms  glided  past  him,  he  forgot  his  danger, 
and  once  more  tried  to  catch  them.  In  doing  so, 
he  fell  into  the  water. 

The  next  thing  he  knew  was,  that  he  was  in  a 
bed  in  a  splendid  castle,  and  three  very  beautiful 
ladies  stood  near  him. 

"  How  did  you  come  here  V9  asked  one  of  them. 

"  I  do  not  know.  I  saw  three  beautiful  swans, 
and  trying  to  catch  them,  I  fell  into  the  water." 

"  Will  you  stay  with  us  V9  asked  another.  "  We 
will  be  very  kind  to  you — but,  remember,  if  you 
stay  here  three  da*ys,  you  must  stay  all  your  life." 

The  boy  was  so  pleased  with  everything  around 
him,  that  he  said  he  would  stay. 

Then  the  three  beautiful  ladies  took  him  all 
through  the  palace,  and  showed  him  beautiful  and 
wonderful  things.  The  walls  were  of  gold  and 
silver,  while  diamonds  and  pearls  were  strewed  in 
all  directions.  Outside  there  was  a  garden,  with 
fruit  such  as  he  had  never  seen.  The  boy  had  read 
of  Paradise,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  This  is  it ;  I 
will  stay  here  as  long  as  I  live." 

Weeks  and  months  passed,  and  new  beauties 
were  constantly  opening  to  him,  and  he  never 
thought  of  his  home. 

At  last,  when  a  year  had  gone  by,  there  arose  in 
him  a  longing  after  his  own  home.  Nothing  pleased 
him  any  longer.  But  he  concealed  his  grief,  and 
would  hide  himself  under  the  trees  in  the  garden, 
and  weep  bitterly.     And  the  three  sisters  saw  traces 


44  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

of  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  questioned  him,  but  he  gave 
them  no  answer. 

One  evening,  at  sun-set,  he  lay  on  the  borders  of 
a  little  stream,  and  in  the  silence  of  that  hour,  there 
came  over  him,  with  great  force,  the  memory  of  his 
home,  his  mother,  and  his  playmates ;  and  he  cried 
out  aloud. 

Suddenly  he  heard  his  own  name  called — and 
looking  round,  he  saw  an  ugly,  old,  hump-backed 
woman,  who  looked  at  him  earnestly. 

"  What  do  you  want  T"  asked  he,  in  a  trembling 
voice. 

"  He !  he !  he  !"  grinned  the  hag ;  "  I  want  you 
to  come  with  me,  and  leave  these  ladies  you  live 
with.     I  will  take  you  to  your  own  home." 

"Never  will  I  go  with  such  as  you,"  answered 
the  boy ;  "  what !  and  leave  my  benefactresses ! 
never !" 

And  the  old  woman  turned,  and  was  gone. 

He  could  not  speak  for  surprise  and  astonishment. 
Then  came  one  of-  the  beautiful  sisters  to  him,  and 
said, 

"  Because  you  refused  to  go  with  that  old  woman, 
we  will  grant  you  your  wish ;  you  shall  go  home 
again." 

The  boy  could  not  answer  them,  so  great  was  his 
delight :  but  he  burst  into  tears  and  cried  for  joy  at 
the  thought  of  seeing  his  mother  again,  and  for  sor- 
row at  leaving  the  ladies  who  had  been  so  kind  to 
him.     He  wished  to  go,  and  wished  to  stay. 

When  he  awoke  the  next  morning,  he  was  again 


THE    THREE    SWANS. 


45 


on  the  banks  of  the  well-known  little  sea.  The 
three  swans  were  floating  on  the  surface.  They 
nodded  to  him  kindly,  and  disappeared. 

In  the  village  there  was  great  joy  upon  his  return. 
All  the  people  collected  round  him  and  listened  to 
his  story,  and  no  one  believed  a  word  of  it. 

But  again,  before  long,  he  felt  a  strong  desire  to 
revisit  the  beautiful  country  under  the  sea.  This 
feeling  increased  every  day.  He  would  sit  and  weep 
on  the  banks  of  the  sea,  till  his  cheeks  grew  pale ; 
and  one  day  he  fell  asleep  there  and  never  again 
awoke. 


^ 


46 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  SHEEP. 


OTHER,  mother,  come  with  me, 
To  the  garden   walk,  and  see, 
Flocks  of  sheep  are  in  the  sky, 
Resting  very  peacefully. 


Now  look  up  and  see  them  there, 
How  soft  and  white  their  fleeces  are ; 
Mother, — why  !  they  are  all  gone — 
And  the  sky  is  left  alone. 

Then  the  mother  kissed  her  child  ; 
Told  her  how  the  clouds  were  piled 
And  melted  by  the  mighty  sun, 
As  his  dazzling  course  he  run. 


Adelaide  looked  thoughtfully  ; 

And  a  tear  was  in  her  eye ; 

For  she  loved  the  lambs  in  heaven, 

And  watched  again  for  them,  till  even. 


THE  GREAT  BIRD  OF  PARADISE. 
U8^ 


THE    GREAT    BIRD    OF    PARADISE.  49 


THE  GREAT  BIRD  OF  PARADISE. 


ID  you  ever  see  a  lady  wearing  on 
her  bonnet  a  bird  of  Paradise  ?  This 
is  a  very  pretty  ornament ;  but  it  is 
also  very  cosily,  because  it  has  been 
brought  all  the  way  from  the  East 
Indies.  The  bird  of  Paradise,  called 
the/Great  Emerald,  of  which  you  here  see  the 
picture,  has  its  natural  residence  in  New 
Guinsa^which,  yofi  know,  is  distant  thousands 
of  miies>4rom  ourjcountry.  Even  in  its  own 
country,  if  *eosts  p.  large  sum  to  obtain  one 
because  they  are  not  easily  caught.  Nothing  can  be 
imagined  more  beautiful  and  brilliant  than  the  plu- 
mage of  these  birds.  rPh§  colours  are  so  rich  and  so 
beautifully  blended,  the  form  so  graceful,  the  feathers 
so  soft,  and  the  hues  so  changeful,  according  as  the 
light  falls  directly  or  obliquely  upon  them,  that  every 
lady  that  can  obtain  one  of  them,  as  an  ornament  for 
the  head,  is  sure  to  attract  attention,  and  admiration. 
We  should  not  forget,  however,  that  rich  ornaments 
are  not  all  that  is  necessary  to  make  a  lady  attrac- 
tive. Grace  of  manner,  politeness,  intelligence,  and 
real  kindness  of  heart,  are  better  ornaments  than 
even  brilliant  birds  of  Paradise. 


50  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


THE  FLOWERS. 

EAR  mother,  tell  me,  are  heaven- 
flowers 

As  bright  as  those  in  this  world  of 
ours? 

Are  they  just  as  real,  and  just  as 
sweet, 
As  these  which  lie  beneath  our  feet?" 

"  Oh,  look  in  your  heart,  and  tell  me,  dear, 
Is  there  not  something  far  brighter  there  ? 
The  spirit  flowers  don't  droop  and  die, 
When  the  winter  wind  comes  whistling  by. 

"  You  have  often  said  in  a  whisper  low, 
*  Dear  Jeannie's  the  brightest  flower  I  know ; 
The  love  which  shines  in  her  soft  clear  eye, 
Can  never  beneath  the  cold  earth  mound  lie.*  " 


(52) 


A  WINDY  DAY. 


53 


A  WINDY  DAY. 


iOU  laugh  at  the  picture,  children 
and  well  you  may,  for  the  wind 
seems  to  have  got  into  a  frolic,  and 
is  playing  all  kinds  of  pranks  with 
people's  hats,  coats,  dresses,  and 
'umbrellas.  It  is  raining,  too,  and  that 
makes  the  matter  so  much  the  worse. 
The  wind  blows  the  umbrellas  a-oneside, 
and  down  comes  the  rain,  drenching  the 
foot  passengers  to  the  skin. 
"  But  is  it  right  to  laugh  at  people  in  the  rain, 
getting  all  wet  1"  asks  little  Hetty,  looking  up  seri- 
ously into  mamma's  face.  "  I  should  not  like  to  be 
out  in  the  rain,  and  have  the  wind  blow  me  almost 
away." 

"  This  is  only  a  picture,"  mamma  replies,  as  she 
kisses  the  lips  of  her  little  girl. 

"  Yes,  but  there  are  people  in  the  picture." 
"  Not  live  people.     Only  pictures  of  people." 
"  And  may  we  laugh  at  pictures  ?" 
"  O  yes,  Hetty,  if  you  have  a  mind  to." 
"  Well,  I   don't    know,"   says    Jane,  older   than 
Hetty  by  five  or  six  years,  "  may  be  if  we  laugh  a 
Dictures,  we  v/ill  soon  laugh  at  people.     And  I  don' 
lhink  I  would  like  to  be  laughed  at  if  I  were  out  in 


54  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

a  rainy  day,  and  the  wind  were  to  come  and  take 
my  umbrella  out  of  my  hand,  or  blow  so  hard  that 
I  couldn't  hold  it  over  my  head." 

"  I  think  Jane  has  had  some  experience  in  these 
things,"  smilingly  remarks  Papa.  "  Didn't  she  get 
her  new  bonnet  spoiled,  and  her  parasol  broken  in 
the  wind  and  rain  last  year  ?" 

*'  O  yes,  sure  enough,"  returns  mamma ;  "  Jane 
can  sympathise  rather  than  laugh  at  the  people  in 
the  picture.  She  knows  how  disagreeable  it  is  to 
be  out  in  a  storm.  It  is  by  our  own  sufferings  that 
we  learn  to  feel  for  others.  And  that  is  a  lesson 
always  good  to  learn.  The  older  we  grow,  the  less 
we  are  inclined  to  make  merry  over  the  ludicrous 
and  unpleasant  situations  that  others  may  be  placed 
in.  Still,  we  cannot  help  smiling  at  many  things 
we  see  around  us.  But,  we  should  take  good  care 
never  to  smile  at  vice,  nor  to  be  merry  at  any  act 
of  wickedness." 

The  children  listened  to  their  mother,  and  when 
she  had  done  speaking,  turned  over  the  leaves  of 
the  book  they  were  examining,  and  came  to  more 
pleasing  pictures. 


THE  VILLAGE  BLACKSMITH. 


(56) 


THE    VILLAGE    BLACKSMITH.  57 


THE  VILLAGE  BLACKSMITH. 


NDER  a  spreading  chestnut  tree 
The  village  smithy  stands ; 

The  smith,  a  mighty  man  is  he, 
With  large  and  sinewy  hands; 

And  the  muscles  of  his  brawny  arms, 
Are  strong  as  iron  bands. 


His  hair  is  crisp,  and  black,  and  long ; 

His  face  is  like  the  tan  ; 
His  brow  is  wet  with  honest  sweat ; 

He  earns  whate'er  he  can, 
And  looks  the  whole  world  in  the  face, 

For  he  owes  not  any  man. 

"Week  out,  week  in,  from  morn  till  night, 
You  can  hear  his  bellows  blow  ; 

You  can  hear  him  swing  his  heavy  sledge, 
With  measured  beat,  and  slow, 

Like  a  sexton  ringing  the  old  kirk  chimes 
When  the  evening  sun  is  low. 

And  children  coming  home  from  school, 

Look  in  at  the  open  door ; 
They  love  to  see  the  naming  forge, 

And  hear  the  bellows  roar, 

4 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

And  catch  the  burning  sparks  that  fly 
Like  chaff  from  a  threshing-floor. 

He  goes  on  Sunday  to  the  church, 

And  sits  among  his  boys ; 
He  hears  the  parson  pray  and  preach, 

He  hears  his  daughter's  voice, 
Singing  in  the  village  choir, 

And  it  makes  his  heart  rejoice. 

It  sounds  to  him  like  her  mother's  voice, 

Singing  in  Paradise! 
He  needs  must  think  of  her  once  more, 

How  in  the  grave  she  lies ; 
And  with  his  hard  rough  hand  he  wipes 

A  tear  from  out  his  eyes. 

Toiling — rejoicing — sorrowing — 
Onward  through  life  he  goes ; 

Each  morning  sees  some  task  begun, 
Each  evening  sees  it  close  ; 

Something  attempted — something  done, 
Has  earned  a  night's  repose. 

Thanks,  thanks  to  thee,  my  worthy  friend, 
For  the  lesson  thou  hast  taught ! 

Thus  at  the  flaming  forge  of  Life 
Our  fortunes  must  be  wrought, 

Thus  on  its  sounding  anvil  shaped 
Each  burning  deed  and  thought. 


THE  OLD  SADDLE  AND  CRUTCHES. 


59 


THE  OLD  SADDLE  AND  CRUTCHES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

In  this  life  we  are  all  dependent  upon  each  other  for  prosperity 
and  happiness. 

EAR  a  little  town  in  France,  there 
once  lived  an  old  hunchback,  who, 
in  his  youth,  had  had  the  misfortune- 
to   lose   both    his   legs.     His  name 
was  Caro.     Caro  was  not  rich ;  at 
least  he  seemed   to  possess  no  other  pro- 
perty than  an  ass,  a  saddle  and  a  pair  of 
crutches. 

Caro,  although  he  was  a  cripple,  was  not 
contented  to  live  an  idle  life;  he  delivered 
messages,  carried  letters  to  the  post  office, 
cleaned  boots  and  shoes,  and  did  everything  in  his 
power,  to  procure  an  honest  subsistence.  Some 
gave  him  a  penny,  some  more,  and  some  less. 
Sometimes  he  was  paid  in  victuals,  and  sometimes 
he  received  an  old  hat,  an  old  coat,  or  a  half  worn 
out  shirt ;  so  that,  no  matter  how  trifling  his  reward, 
he  always  received  something  for  his  services. 
Caro  was  so  good,  so  industrious,  and  so  honest, 
that  everybody  loved  him. 

At  a  very  early  hour  in  the  morning,  for  he  was 
not  at  all  lazy,  Caro  would  start  out  in  search  of 


60  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

employment.  In  fine  weather  he  took  his  crutches 
and  walked,  or  rather  dragged  himself  along,  on  his 
stumps  of  legs.  But  when  the  weather  was  bad,  he 
mounted  his  ass  and  still  industriously  attended  to 
his  little  duties.  At  night  he  returned  and  slept  at 
the  house  of  Colas. 


CHAPTER  II. 

COLAS,  ROSETTE  AND  THE  MINISTER. 
Man  is  grateful. 

Colas,  my  friends,  was  an  honest,  industrious  and 
kind-hearted  young  gardener,  who  rented  a  corner 
of  his  cabin  to  old  Caro.  Caro  loved  Colas  as  a 
father  loves  his  own  child ;  and  this  young  man,  in 
return  for  the  friendship  of  his  old  tenant,  rendered 
him  a  thousand  little  services.  If  the  good  man 
were  sick,  Colas  would  give  him  his  drink,  warm 
nis  soup,  make  his  bed  and  take  care  of  his  ass. 
Caro  was  always  sure  to  have  a  part  of  Colas' 
grapes,  prunes,  pears,  radishes  and  salads.  But  it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  the  hunchback  almost 
always  shared  with  his  friend,  the  gardener,  the 
provisions  he  brought  from  the  town. 

Every  day,  precisely  at  noon,  Caro  went  into  the 
nouse  of  the  minister.     This  minister  was  a  worthy 


THE    OLD    SADDLE    AND    CRUTCHES.  61 

man,  and  having  a  few  years  before,  received  some 
services  from  the  hunchback,  which  he  remembered 
with  gratitude,  he  desired  his  servant  to  give  the  old 
man  soup,  regularly,  every  day  at  this  hour. 

The  name  of  this  servant  was  Rosette.  She  was 
a  pretty,  gentle  feeling  young  girl,  and  was  loved  by 
Colas.  She,  too,  loved  the  gardener* in  her  heart; 
but  they  were  both  too  poor  to  think  of  marrying, 
and,  hoping  for  better  days,  they  continued  to  love 
on  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Do  good  to  men,  and  they  will  love  you. 

The  situation  of  the  poor  crippled  hunchback,  in- 
terested the  tender-hearted  Rosette.  When  she 
heard  the  sound  of  his  crutches  on  the  pavement,  as 
they  went  toe,  toe — 

"  There  is  Caro,"  she  would  say,  and  run  to  open 
the  door. 

Then  she  would  make  him  come  in,  give  him  a 
chair  near  the  fire,  ask  after  his  health,  and  the  suc- 
cess he  had  met  with  during  the  morning.  If  he 
had  been  unsuccessful,  she  would  try  to  console  him  ; 
but,  if  fortunate,  she  would  partake  of  his  happiness. 
She  would  encourage,  chat  with,  and  amuse  him  ; 
indeed,  this  good  girl  showed  him  so  many  kind- 
nesses that  he  loved  her  with  all  his  heart.  It  is  so 
natural  to  love  those  who  are  good  to  us. 


fi9 

"*  THE   CHRISTMAS   TREE. 


When  the  old  man  finished  eating  his  soon 
Rosette  would  always  present  him  winsome  lit! 
de  cacy  wh.ch  she  had  put  away  for  him.  * 

.  father  Caro,"  she  would  say,  "put  these  nuts 
m  your  pocket;  father  Caro,  eat  this  apple  or 
father  Caro,  drink  this  glass  of  wine."         PP    ' 

iivery  day  -when  the  hunchback  received  some 
new  present  from   Rosette,  blessing  her]  he  wou]d 

for;Go°u°AiS^"GOd  WilUt'e  da*  — d  you 


CHAPTER  IV. 

POOR    CABO. 

Ah!  those  are  sincere  tears  whieh  moisten  the  graves  of  the 


poor 


One  day  Rosette  missed   her   old  friend      The 
hour  of  twelve  passed  by,  and  no  one  knocked  at  tfc 

"I  hope  nothing  has  happened  to  Caro,"  said  she. 

sA    \He,DeT  TS  to  come  «>r  his  soup." 
Suddenly  she  heard  a  knock  at  the  door.         P 

crutch  »  1S  n0t  Car° ;  that  is  not  the  bIow  ^  hi* 

„nf»  n.™!!'  howeTver'  ag',a«ed  with  hope  and  fear  to 
open  the  door.  It  was  Colas.  Colas,  with  tears  n 
h.s  eyes,  had  come  to  inform  the  min  ster  that  Car" 


THE    OLD    SADDLE    AND    CRUTCHES.  63 

had  died,  during  the  night,  with  apoplexy.  Good 
Rosette!  honest  Colas!  pure  and  simple  friends! 
moisten  with  your  tears  the  cold  remains  of  poor 
Caro. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CARo's    WILL. 
Everything  which  comes  from  a  friend  should  be  dear  to  us. 

In  the  pocket  of  the  deceased  was  found  a  paper 
which  contained  his  last  will,  which  was  as  follows : 

"  I  leave  my  saddle  to  Rosette.  My  crutches  I 
leave  to  Colas,  on  condition  that  he  marries  no  one 
but  Rosette.  As  for  my  poor  ass,  who  has  served 
me  so  faithfully,  I  beg  that  the  minister  will  take 
care  of  him  in  his  old  age.     Amen." 

Caro  was  buried,  regretted  and  mourned  by  all 
who  knew  him,  but  more  particularly  by  Rosette 
and  Colas,  who  felt  his  loss  more  than  anybody  else. 

Grief,  however,  like  everything  in  this  world, 
passes  away  as  time  rolls  on,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village  began  to  jest  about  the  bequest  of  the 
hunchback. 

"  He  has  left  you  his  crutches  to  beat  your  wife 
with,"  one  would  say  to  Colas, 

"  It  is  for  this  reason,"  another  would  say,  "  that 
the  good  man  has  left  the  saddle,  which,  as  every 
body  knows,  is  the  symbol  of  patience,  to  Rosette." 


64  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

Every  one  added  his  merry  word,  and  the  poor 
young  people,  knew  not  how  to  reply.  However,  out 
of  respect  to  the  memory  of  their  friend,  they  reli- 
giously preserved  the  modest  legacies  which  they 
had  received  from  him. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

See  what  may  be  accomplished  by  Economy. 

One  day,  some  time  after  Caro's  death,  Colas 
was  sitting  at  the  door  of  his  cabin,  thinking  of 
Rosette,  when  he  saw  a  hog  in  his  garden,  devour- 
ing his  cabbages.  He  ran  into  his  house  for  a  stick, 
and  in  his  haste  picked  up  one  of  Caro's  crutches, 
with  which  he  struck  the  animal  such  a  blow  on  the 
back,  that  it  broke  in  twenty  pieces.  But  what  was 
his  astonishment,  when  he  saw  a  quantity  of  gold 
pieces  fly  out  and  scatter  themselves  about  on  the 
ground.  At  first,  honest  Colas  dared  not  trust  his 
eyes,  but  when  he  had  gathered  up  the  pieces,  felt 
them,  counted  them,  and  turned  them  over  and  over, 
he  could  doubt  no  longer.  He  ran  into  the  house, 
seized  the  other  crutch,  and  was  surprised  that  he 
had  never  before  remarked  their  unusual  heaviness. 
He  broke  it.  Like  the  other,  it  was  hollowed  out  and 
filled  with  gold  coins.  Colas'  head  was  turned  with 
joy;  he  raised  his  hands  to  heaven;  he  fell  upon  his 
knees  and  thanked  God  ;  he  rose,  bounded  into  his 
humble  dwelling,  laughed,  cried,  and   blessed  the 


THE    OLD    SADDLE    AND    CRUTCHES.  65 

memory  of  his  benefactor.  Then  a  thousand  plea- 
sant thoughts  came  into  his  mind  ;  at  last  he  remem- 
bered the  clause  in  the  will  which  exacted  his  union 
with  Rosette,  and  he  flew  to  her. 

"  See !  Rosette,"  he  cried,  extending  his  hands 
filled  with  gold.     "  See  !" 

Rosette  opened  widely  her  large  black  eyes,  as 
Colas  related,  the  cause  of  his  happiness  to  her. 

"  Ah  !"  cried  she,  "  and  my  saddle." 

They  ran  together  to  the  garret,  where  the  saddle 
was  deposited.  They  broke  it  open,  and  found  it, 
too,  was  stuffed  with  pieces  of  gold. 

Colas  and  Rosette  were  married.  They  purchased 
a  little  farm,  upon  which  they  lived  comfortably,  and 
were  happy,  as  they  deserved  to  be.  They  blessed, 
to  the  end  of  their  days  the  memory  of  the  good, 
kind  Caro,  who,  by  a  wise  economy  had  acquired 
the  means  to  reward,  after  his  death,  his  disinterested 
benefactors. 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


HOW  TO  BE  GEEAT. 

5*3  EORGE,  come  here  with  your  book 
""  and  tell  me  what  you  have  been  read 
ing  about." 

"  I  have  been  reading  about  Al- 
ls exander  the  Great." 

"  Do  you  love  to  read  about  grea 
warriors  V9 
"  O,  yes.     I  have  read  about  Hannibal,  ana 
Julius  Caesar,  and  Xerxes." 

"  Why  do  you  love  to  read  about  them, 
George  ?" 


HOW  TO  BE  GREAT.  67 

"  Because  they  were  such  great  men,  and  could 
conquer  whole  nations." 

"  You  think  they  were  great  men,  because  they 
could  do  all  this?" 

"  Yes,  indeed." 

"  Who  is  greatest  of  all,  George  V' 

"  God." 

"  Yes,  my  son.  God  is  greatest  of  all.  But  he 
does  not  send  out  armies  to  conquer  and  destroy 
whole  nations,  and  burn  up  their  cities.  What  is  it 
then  that  makes  him  great  V' 

"  He  made  the  world,  the  sun  and  moon  and  all 
the  stars.     He  made  everything." 

"  Yes ;  and  he  preserves  everything.  He  does 
good  to  all ;  sending  his  rain  upon  the  evil  and  the 
good,  and  making  his  sun  to  shine  upon  the  just  and 
the  unjust.  All  that  he  has  done,  and  all  that  he  is 
continually  doing,  is  for  the  good  of  his  creatures. 
Alexander  conquered  armies,  and  destroyed  cities 
because  he  wanted  to  be  thought  a  great  warrior. 
He  wanted  to  have  dominion  over  the  whole  earth, 
not  to  do  good  to  others,  but  because  he  thought 
such  dominion  would  make  him  happier.  In  seek- 
ing power  over  his  fellow  men,  he  cared  not  how 
much  pain  and  misery  he  occasioned.  The  cries 
of  the  widow  and  orphan  went  up,  but  they  were 
nothing  to  him. 

"  God,  too,  my  son,  seeks  dominion  over  men,  but 
it  is  to  do  them  good,  not  to  gain  glory.  He  loves 
us  all  for  our  own  sakes,  and  sends  us  all  the 
blessings  we  have.     Now  if  God  is  greatest  of  all, 


68  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

we  can  only  become  truly  great  by  seeking  to  be 
like  him.     How  shall  we  become  like  him  V9 

"  By  doing  good  to  others." 

"Yes,  George;  the  truly  great  man  is  the  truly 
good  man — he  who  seeks  to  make  others  happy. 

"  But  is  it  wrong  to  be  a  great  warrior  ?" 

"O  no:  not  if  the  warrior  fight  in  defending  his 
country.  Then  it  is  right.  Washington  was  a 
great  man  and  also  a  good  man.  He  fought  for  his 
country  because  he  loved  it,  and  desired  its  good. 
And,  should  an  enemy — a  strong  and  ambitious 
warrior  like  Alexander  or  Caesar,  come  here  with  a 
great  army,  for  the  purpose  of  conquering  our 
happy  country,  it  would  not  only  be  right  for  me 
and  every  other  man  to  go  out  and  fight  against 
him,  but  our  duty.  When  you  become  a  man,  it 
will  be  right  for  you  to  fight  for  your  country.  And 
I  hope  you  will  do  so,  even  if  you  should  lay  down 
vour  life  for  it.  Then  you  would  be  a  greater  man 
;han  ever  was  Alexander." 


THE  WHITE  PIGEON.  69 


THE  WHITE  PIGEON. 


BY  MRS.  M.  E.  ROBBINS. 

DEAR  white  dove  comes  every  day, 
To  pick  up  the  crumbs  which  are 

thrown  away, 
>  While  Jeannie  and  I,  in  the  window 

seat, 
Watch  his    snowy  neck,  and  bright 

red  feet. 


And  very  softly  oft  I  creep, 
Outside  the  door  to  take  a  peep ; 
That  I  am  friendly,  he  does  not  know, 
For  he  flies  away  whenever  I  go. 

But  very  soon  he  comes  back  again  ; 
And  he  never  minds  the  snow  or  rain. 
Some  days  he  brings  with  him  a  brother, 
Again,  four,  or  five,  will  come  together. 

How  much  I  wonder  if  ever  he, 
A  carrier  pigeon  could  learn  to  be, 
To  a  nice  blue  string  I  could  tie  a  note, 
And  fasten  it  round  his  pretty  throat ; 

And  bid  him  fly  to  Mary's  house, 
And  creep  slyly  in,  like  a  little  mouse ; 


70 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


And  lay  the  note  on  dear  Mary's  table ; 
She  might  guess  how  it  came,  if  she  was  able. 

I  think  she  would  say  some  fairy  small, 
Had  been  to  make  her  a  morning  call ; 
And  flitted  away  ere  from  school  she  came, 
Without  leaving  a  card  to  tell  her  name. 


THE  SOCIAL  BULLFINCH. 


(72) 


THE    SOCIAL    BULLFINCH.  73 


THE  SOCIAL  BULLFINCH. 


•ERE  are  two  very  interesting  birds. 
They  are  the  male  and  female  Social 
Bullfinch.  They  are  found  near  the 
celebrated  Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia. 
All  of  our  little  friends  have  read  in 
the  Bible  about  Mount  Sinai  upon 
the  top  of  which  Moses  received  from 
the  Lord  the  tables  of  stone,  whereon  were 
written  the  Ten  Commandments.  It  is  near 
this  mountain,  as  we  have  said,  that  the 
Social  Bullfinch  is  found.  This  bird  is  be- 
tween five  and  six  inches  long,  and  is  ornamented 
around  the  base  of  the  bill  with  a  circle  of  rich  red, 
going  off  in  spots  upon  the  cheeks.  The  front  is 
covered  with  small  white  feathers  of  a  silvery  colour, 
lightly  shaded  upon  the  borders  with  red  ;  all  the 
lower  parts  of  the  body,  the  inferior  coverts  of  the 
tail,  are  of  a  brilliant  rose  colour :  the  upper  parts  are 
ash  coloured,  lightly  tinged  with  rose :  wings  and  tail 
brown,  with  ash  coloured  borders.  The  female  bird 
is  clad  in  less  gay  attire.  Her  feathers  are  nearly 
all  brown. 


74  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  CHRISTMAS  GIFT, 

OME  hither !  come  hither, 

My  gentle  boy, 
'Tis  the  season  of  gladness, 

And  fervent  joy, 
For  who  would  not  cherish 
With  grateful  mirth, 
The  day  that  tells 

Of  a  Saviour's  birth  ; 
Come  hither !  come  hither, 

Our  hearts  are  free, 
And  among  our  gifts 

There  is  one  for  thee  ; 
Come — feast  thy  gaze, 

On  the  treasures  gay, 
That  stand  around  thee 
In  rich  array ; 
The  glittering  baubles,  and  toys  so  rare, 
And  choose  thee  the  richest  and  loveliest  there. 

The  boy  looked  on 

With  wondering  gaze 
On  the  costly  gifts, 

And  the  trinkets'  blaze ; 
And  his  dark  eye  rested 

With  pleasure's  glow, 
On  a  mimic  courser, 


THE    CHRISTMAS   GIFT.  75 

As  white  as  snow  : 
"  Oh  !  Lady— I  think 

He  must  be  the  best, 
With  his  noble  head, 

And  arching  crest ; 
And  his  light  foot  raised 

In  the  yielding  air, 
As  if  he  were  living 

And  breathing  there ; 
But  I  '11  choose  no  gift,  be  it  ever  so  fair, 
That  my  poor  sick  brother  can  never  share. 

"  But  the  helmet,  and  breast-plate, 

And  pointed  spear, 
Such  as  the  warriors 

Of  old  did  wear: 
And  the  brave  bright  cannon 

That  roars  so  loud, 
And  the  trailing  colours, 

And  falchion  proud ; 
And  the  glittering  scabbard 

With  gems  inlaid, 
That  rivals  in  brightness 

The  gleaming  blade : 
Oh  !  how  well  I  should  look 

When  so  nobly  drest, 
And  I  'd  be  the  Knight 

Of  the  stainless  crest : 
And  yet — who  but  myself  would  these  playthings 

please  ? 
And  what  could  my  sister  do  with  these  ? 


76  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

"  But  the  books — dear  Lady  ! 

I'll  turn  to  them, 
From  the  martial  toy, 

And  the  shining  gem  ; 
I  have  heard  my  mother 

Say  many  times, 
*  There  are  treasures  in  books, 

As  in  hidden  mines  :' 
Here  is  one  that  is  plainer 

Than  all  the  rest, 
But  I  know  my  mother 

Loves  it  best ; 
'T  is  the  Bible— Lady, 

'T  will  be  at  home 
A  dearer  treasure 

Than  sword  or  drum  ; 
And  my  brother  and  sister  will  gladly  share 
The  gems  of  truth  that  are  hidden  there." 

The  Lady  looked 

On  the  happy  brow, 
That  glowed  with  the  brightness 

Of  gladness  now  : 
She  smiled  as  her  glance 

Met  the  earnest  eye, 
That  meekly  awaited 

Her  low  reply : 
"  My  boy — -thy  words 

Are  nobly  said, 
And  well — full  well 

Shall  thy  choice  be  paid ; 


THE  CHRISTMAS  GIFT. 


77 


For  here,"  and  her  smile  grew  brighter  still, 
"  Thou  shalt  find  a  refuge  from  every  ill. 

"  Should  wrongs  and  sorrows 

Thy  peace  invade, 
•  A  leaf  of  healing,' 

A  covering  shade ; 
And  should  storms  grow  wild 

Around  thy  path, 
A  house  of  defence 

From  their  fiercest  wrath : 
And  a  sword  and  shield 

Shall  it  be  to  thee, 
Guiding  thee  ever 

To  victory: 
And  a  crown  of  life  it  shall  make  thine  own, 
When  earthly  monarchs  are  overthrown." 


H.  M. 


78 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


WHO  MADE  THE  PIGfEONS  ? 

OME  grains  of  wheat  had  been 
dropped  from  a  cart  in  the  road. 
Little  Henry  was  walking  along  with 
his  mother,  and  saw  three  or  four 
pigeons  picking  up  these  grains  with 
their  bills. 
"  O  mother !  see  the  pretty  pigeons,"  he 
cried.  "Who  made  the  pigeons'?" 

"  The  Lord  made  them,"  Henry's  mother 
said. 

"  How  did  he  make  them  V'   asked  the 
little  boy. 


WHO   MADE    THE    PIGEONS  ?  79 

"  When  we  get  to  Aunt  Sarah's  I'll  tell  you." 

"  Oh,  but  why  can't  you  tell  me  now,  mother  1  I 
want  to  know  now." 

Henry,  you  see,  like  a  good  many  other  little 
boys,  hadn't  much  patience.  He  didn't  like  to  wait 
for  anything.     His  mother  said  to  him — 

"  I  can  make  you  understand  me  better  when  we 
get  to  Aunt  Sarah's,  than  I  can  now." 

"  How  can  you  make  me  understand  better  then, 
mother  ?  Why  can't  you  tell  me  now  1  I  want  to 
know  now." 

Do  you  know  any  little  impatient  boy  like  Henry  ? 
I  think  I  do  ;  and  could  tell  his  name.  But  J  won't 
just  now,  for  I  think  he  will  try  and  be  better.  But 
what  did  Henry's  mother  do  1  Did  she  tell  him 
then  ?  O,  no  !  She  told  him  that  good  little  boys 
were  always  willing  to  wait  for  anything  when 
their  mothers  wanted  them  to  do  so — no  matter 
whether  it  were  for  a  story  or  a  piece  of  cake.  They 
loved  their  mothers  too  well  not  to  be  patient. 

Well,  as  they  were  on  their  way  to  Aunt  Sarah's, 
they  soon  got  there.  Aunt  Sarah  had  a  nice  piece 
of  ginger  cake  for  Henry,  who,  while  eating  it,  for- 
got all  about  the  pigeons.  As  soon  as  he  had  eaten 
it  all  up,  his  mother  said  to  him — 

"  Come,  now,  dear,  don't  you  want  to  hear  about 
the  pigeons  ?" 

"  O  yes,  mother.  You  said  the  Lord  made  the 
pigeons.  Tell  me,  now,  please,  won't  you,  how  He 
made  them  ?" 

Then  Henry's  mother  took  him  by  the  hand,  and 


80  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

led  him  out  to  Aunt  Sarah's  pigeon  house.  It  was 
full  of  beautiful  pigeons;  and  they  fluttered  their 
wings ;  and  made  O !  such  a  noise  as  they  flew  out 
of  the  house.  But  a  good  many  were  sitting  upon 
their  nests.  They  looked  frightened,  and  popped 
their  little  heads  up  and  down,  and  turned  their 
round  red  eyes  upon  Henry  and  his  mother,  saying, 
as  plainly  as  they  could, 

"  Oh,  don't  hurt  us,  please." 

"Don't  be  afraid,  little  dears,"  Henry's  mother 
said ;  for  she  understood  what  they  meant.  "  We 
wouldn't  hurt  you  for  the  world.  We  're  only  going 
to  look  at  some  of  your  pretty  little  eggs,  and  dear 
little  young  ones." 

"  Do  you  see  this  pretty  little  egg  ?"  she  then  said 
to  Henry ;  taking  from  one  of  the  nests  a  nice  little 

"O  yes,  mother.  Ain't  it  beautiful?  Give  it  to 
me,  won't  you  ?" 

"No,  my  dear.  You  must  not  touch  the  pretty 
pigeon's  egg.  You  might  break  it,  and  then  the 
poor  bird  would  be  so  sorry.  A  long,  long  time 
ago,  the  Lord  made  two  pigeons,  and  told  them  to 
lay  little  eggs,  just  like  this  one.  One  of  them  built 
her  a  nest,  and  in  this  nest  she  laid  two  eggs.  And 
then  she  sat  on  them,  just  like  you  see  these  pigeons 
all  around  here,  and  kept  them  warm,  for  oh!  a  good 
many  days  and  nights.  When  she  was  hungry  the 
other  pigeon  brought  her  food,  and  put  it  in  her 
mouth ;  and  when  it  was  night,  he  would  come  and 
sit  by  her  in  the  nest  until  morning.     Sometimes  she 


WHO  MADE  THE  PIGEONS  j  81 

would  get  very  tired,  and  then  he  would  sit  on  the 
two  little  eggs  for  her,  while  she  flew  up  in  the  air 
and  on  the  trees,  and  all  about,  stretching  her 
wings,  and  feeling  so  free  and  happy. 

"  At  last  the  two  eggs  turned  into  little  bits  of 
pigeons,  just  like  these."  And  as  Henry's  mother 
said  this,  she  lifted  him  up,  and  let  him  see  two  very, 
very  little  birds  in  a  nest,  with  the  shells  of  the  eggs, 
out  of  which  they  had  come. 

"  O  mother !  did  these  little  pigeons  come  out  of 
two  eggs  ?"  Henry  said,  clapping  his  hands  with 
delight. 

"  Yes,  my  dear.  The  two  little  birds  that  the 
pigeons  I  was  telling  you  of  hatched  out,  they  fed 
with  worms  and  seeds  until  they  grew  up  to  be  big 
pigeons,  and  then  they  flew  away,  and  laid  eggs, 
and  hatched  out  pigeons,  and  these  laid  eggs,  too, 
and  hatched  out  other  pigeons,  and  so  it  has  been 
ever  since,  until  there  are  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  these  birds  all  over  the  world.  Now  does  my 
son  know  who  made  the  pigeons  ?" 

"  O  yes.  The  Lord  made  two  pretty  pigeons  a 
long,  long  time  ago,  and  these  laid  eggs,  and  sat  on 
them  just  as  these  pigeons  are  doing,  and  hatched 
out  young  ones.  And  they  grew  up,  and  laid  more 
eggs,  and  hatched  out  more  young  ones,  and  so  it 
has  been  ever  since." 

"Yes,  my  dear.     And  now,  as   the  poor  birds 
nere  are  still  uneasy,  and  afraid  of  us,  we  will  go 
out  of  the  pigeon  house,  and  let  them  lay  their  eggs, 
and  hatch  their  young  ones  in  peace." 
6 


82 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


THE  GOLDEN  BOY, 

ORE  than  two  thousand  years  ago, 
there  lived,  in  a  thick  forest,  a  poor 
peasant,   who    had    built    a    little 
wooden  house,  in  which  he  lived, 
with  his  wife  and  his  six  children, 
who  were  all  boys.     They  had  a 
Very  little  garden,  with  a  little  stream  run- 
ning through  it ;  and  when  their  father  was 
working  out  of  doors,  the  boys  would  go  to 
him  at  breakfast  time  and  dinner  time,  and 
carry  him  a  drink  of  cool  water  from  the 
stream,  and  some  berries  from  the  garden. 

The  youngest  of  these  boys  had  hair  as  yellow  as 
gold,  on  account  of  which,  he  was  called  by  them, 
"  the  golden  boy ;"  and,  although  the  youngest,  he 
was  the  tallest  and  strongest  of  them  all. 

When  they  went  out  exploring  in  the  forest,  the 
golden  boy  always  walked  on  in  front,  with  a  stick 
in  his  hand ;  for  the  others  were  afraid  to  venture 
far  into  the  thick  dark  forest  without  him. 

One  evening,  as  they  were  all  returning  home 
with  the  father,  they  lingered  behind,  amusing  them- 
selves with  playing  as  they  went  along. 

"  Let  us  go  back  to  the  path  now,  and  join  father," 
said  the  oldest,  "  for  it  is  getting  dark." 

"  There  is  the  moon,"  said  the  second  boy,  as  the 


THE  GOLDEN  BOY.  83 

moon  appeared  over  the  tops  of  the  pine  trees. 
Suddenly  a  female  form  appeared  before  tbem, 
seated  on  a  mossy  stone,  spinning  a  slight  thread 
with  a  crystalline  spindle.  She  nodded  her  head  to 
the  golden  boy,  and  said — 

The  white  bird,  the  golden  flower  to  thee, 
And  the  king's  crown  in  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

Her  thread  broke,  when  she  had  sung  this,  and 
she  disappeared  in  the  moonlight.  The  boys  were 
very  much  frightened,  and  they  ran  in  all  directions, 
endeavouring  to  regain  the  well  known  path. 

Eight  days  and  nights  did  the  golden  boy  wander 
about  in  the  thick  forest ;  but  he  found  neither  his 
father's  hut,  nor  any  of  his  brothers,  nor  any  trace 
of  mankind.  The  forest  became  thicker  and  thicker; 
mountain  rose  above  mountain,  and  cliff  above  cliff. 
The  berries  which  grew  on  all  sides,  satisfied  his 
hunger,  and  he  found  streams  of  good  water.  On 
the  eighth  day,  the  wood  became  less  and  less  thick, 
and  he  came  out  at  last,  into  a  beautiful  green 
meadow. 

Then  his  heart  was  light,  and  he  hastened  on  his 
way. 

In  this  meadow  he  saw  nets  spread  out  every- 
where, for  a  bird  catcher  lived  here,  who  caught 
the  birds  that  flew  out  of  the  forest,  and  sold  them 
in  the  towns  and  villages. 

"  Such  a  boy  as  that,  is  just  what  I  want,"  thought 
the  bird-catcher,  when  he  saw  the  golden  boy.  So 
he  took  a  net,  threw  it  over  his  head,  and  the  golden 


84  THE  CHRISTMAS  TRJ1.& 

boy  was  caught.  He  lay  astonished  under  the  net, 
for  he  could  not  understand  what  this  meant. 

"  That  is  the  way  I  catch  birds,  and  so  do  I  catch 
you,"  said  the  bird-catcher ;  "  your  golden  feathers 
are  beautiful.  Stay  with  me,  and  I  will  teach  you 
to  catch  birds,  too." 

The  golden  boy  had  no  objection  to  stay ;  he 
thought  catching  birds  would  be  a  delightful  busi- 
ness, and  he  had  now  entirely  given  up  his  hopes  of 
again  beholding  his  parents  and  brothers. 

"  Let  me  see  how  you  profit  by  my  lesson,"  said 
the  bird-catcher,  after  a  few  days.  "  Take  the  net 
and  go  out." 

The  golden  boy,  taking  the  net,  went  out  into  the 
meadow,  and  caught  a  beautiful  white  Finch. 

"  A  white  Finch !"  exclaimed  the  bird-catcher. 
"  Get  away  from  here  immediately ;  I  am  sure  you 
are  leagued  with  the  Evil  one !" 

And  he  took  him  by  the  shoulders,  pushed  him 
out  of  the  meadow,  and  returning,  took  the  white 
Finch  and  trod  it  under  foot  till  it  was  dead. 

The  golden  boy  did  not  understand  the  bird- 
catcher's  words ;  but  he  went  sorrowfully  back  into 
the  forest,  and  again  endeavoured  to  find  his  father's 
hut. 

He  wandered  day  and  night,  among  rocks  and 
thick  tangled  underwood,  often  falling  over  the 
black  roots  which  protruded  from  the  earth.  On  the 
third  day,  the  wood  became  less  and  less  thick,  and 
at  last  he  came  out  into  a  beautiful  garden,  full  of 
flowers,  such  as  the  peasant  boy  had  never  before 
beheld      Whilst    he    was    looking    around    him    in 


THE    GOLDEN    BOY.  85 

amazement,  the  gardener  observed  him.  He  had 
not  seen  him  before,  because  his  golden  hair  glistened 
in  the  morning  sun,  and  he  had  taken  him  for  a 
flower. 

"  Ha !"  said  the  gardener,  to  himself,  "  such  a  boy 
as  that  is  just  what  I  want." 

And  he  shut  the  garden  gate,  so  that  the  golden 
boy  could  not  get  out. 

"Stay  with  me,"  said  he,  "and  twill  teach  you 
how  to  take  care  of  the  flowers." 

The  golden  boy  made  no  objection ;  he  thought 
taking  care  of  such  beautiful  flowers  would  make 
him  very  happy,  and  he  had  given  up  all  thoughts 
of  again  seeing  his  parents  and  brothers. 

"  Go  out  into  the  forest,"  said  the  gardener,  one 
morning,  "  and  bring  me  a  wild  rose-bush." 

The  golden  boy  went  out,  and  came  back  with  a 
bush  bearing  golden  roses. 

"  Be  off  with  your  golden  roses,"  said  the  fright- 
ened gardener,  "  I  do  believe  you  have  dealings 
with  the  Evil  one." 

And  he  took  him  by  the  shoulder  and  pushed  him 
out  of  the  garden,  and  returned  and  trampled  the 
golden  roses  into  the  ground. 

The  golden  boy  did  not  understand  the  gardener's 
words;  but  he  went  back  into  the  forest,  and  set 
himself  again  to  seek  out  his  father's  hut. 

He  wandered  day  and  night,  from  tree  to  tree, 
and  from  rock  to  rock.  At  last,  on  the  third  day, 
the  forest  grew  gradually  less  and  less  thick,  and  he 
came  out  on  the  shore  of  a  blue  sea. 


bb  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

A  pretty  little  fishing  bark  lay  on  the  strand.  He 
stepped  into  it,  and  sat  down. 

"  Such  a  boy  is  just  what  we  want,"  said  the 
fishermen,  and  they  pushed  out  into  the  sea  very 
quickly.  The  golden  boy  made  no  objection  to  go 
with  them,  for  he  had  entirely  given  up  all  hopes  of 
ever  again  beholding  his  parents  and  brothers. 

The  fishermen  threw  out  their  nets,  but  caught 
nothing. 

"  Here,"  said  an  old  silver  haired  fisherman,  to 
the  golden  boy,  "  take  the  net  and  try  what  luck 
you  will  have." 

With  unskilful  hands,  the  golden  boy  let  down 
the  net  into  the  water,  and  brought  up  a  crown  of 
pure  gold. 

"  Triumph  !"  exclaimed  the  old  fisherman,  and 
fell  at  the  golden  boy's  feet.  "  I  greet  thee  our 
king.  An  hundred  years  ago,  the  old  king,  when 
dying  without  an  heir,  threw  his  crown  into  the 
sea,  and  declared  that  until  it  were  found,  the  king- 
dom should  be  without  a  head." 

"  Hail  to  our  king !"  cried  all  the  fishermen,  and 
placed  the  crown  upon  the  head  of  the  golden  boy. 
The  story  fled  from  ship  to  ship  on  the  sea,  and  they 
all  hastened  to  greet  the  boat  on  which  stood  the 
golden-haired  king,  with  his  golden  crown  on  his 
head,  looking  at  the  setting  sun.  As  it  sank,  he 
remembered,  for  the  first  time,  the  mysterious  words : 

The  white  bird,  the  golden  flower  to  thee, 
And  the  king's  crown  in  the  depths  of  the  sea. 


THE  CEDAR  BIRD. 


(88) 


THE  CEDAR  BIRD.  89 


THE  CEDAR  BIRD. 

HE  cedar  bird  is  found  in  the  whole 

extent  between  Mexico  and  Canada, 

and  parties  are  said  occasionally  to 

roam  as  far  south  as  the  forests  of 

Guiana.     In  the  United  States  it  is 

a  resident  during  the  whole  year,  the 

northern  and   middle   states   being   its   more 

usual  quarters  in  the  summer,  and  the  southern 

in  the  winter  season. 

They  utter  a  feeble  lisping  sound,  and  fly  in 
companies  of  from  twenty  to  fifty ;  and  usually 
alight  so  close  together  on  the  same  tree,  that  one 
half  are  frequently  shot  down  at  a  time.  Their  food 
is  generally  berries  of  the  sour  gum,  and  red  cedar, 
of  w7hich  last  they  are  very  fond ;  and  thirty  or 
forty  may  sometimes  be  seen  fluttering  among  the 
branches  of  one  small  cedar  tree,  picking  off  the 
berries.  In  the  fall  and  beginning  of  summer,  when 
they  become  very  fat,  great  numbers  are  brought  to 
the  market  of  Philadelphia,  where  they  are  sold  at 
from  twelve  to  twenty-five  cents  per  dozen.  Their 
appetite  is  extraordinary;  they  eat  so  much  as 
sometimes  to  be  unable  to  fly,  and  suffer  themselves 
to  be  taken  by  the  hand. 

During  the  whole  winter  antl  spring  they  are  oc- 
casionally seen ;  but,  about  the  25th  of  May,  they 


90  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE, 

appear  in  great  numbers,  making  havoc  among  the 
early  cherries,  selecting  the  best  and  the  ripest  of  the 
fruit.  About  this  time  and  the  early  part  of  June 
they  begin  to  breed.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  of 
a  dingy  bluish  white,  thick  at  the  great  end,  tapering 
suddenly  and  becoming  very  narrow  at  the  other, 
marked  with  small  roundish  spots  of  various  sizes 
and  shades  ;  and  the  great  end  is  of  a  pale  dull  pur- 
ple tinge,  marked  with  touches  of  purple  and  black. 
In  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  days  the  young  are 
hatched,  and  are  first  fed  on  insects ;  but  as  they 
advance  in  growth,  on  berries  of  various  kinds. 

Having  endeavoured  to  give  the  reader  some  idea 
of  the  cedar  bird  in  a  state  of  nature,  we  proceed  to 
lay  before  him  an  account  of  its  manners  in  cap- 
tivity. 

A  young  bird  having  been,  by  some  means,  ejected 
from  his  cradle,  was  thrown  upon  my  protection.  In 
this  critical  situation,  however,  he  had  been  well  fed 
or  rather  gorged  with  berries,  and  was  merely 
scratched  by  the  fall  he  had  received.  Fed  on 
cherries  and  mulberries,  he  was  soon  well  covered 
with  feathers,  w7hile  his  mate  was  suffered  to  perish 
by  the  forgetfulness  of  its  natural  parents.  I  soon 
found  my  interesting  companion  impatient  of  the 
cage,  and  extremely  voracious,  eating  until  he  was 
filled  to  the  very  mouth  with  the  soft  fruits  on  which 
he  was  often  fed.  The  throat,  in  fact  like  a  craw, 
admits  of  distention,  and  the  contents  are  only  grad- 
ually passed  off  into  the  stomach.  I  now  suffered 
the  bird  to  fly  at  large,  and  for  several  days  he 


THE    CEDAR    BIRD.  91 

descended  from  the  trees  in  which  he  perched  to  my 
arm  for  food  ;  but  the  moment  he  was  satisfied,  he 
avoided  the  cage,  and  appeared  unable  to  survive 
the  loss  of  liberty.  He  now  came  seldomer  to  me, 
and  finally  joined  the  lisping  cry,  and  was  enticed 
away  after  two  or  three  attempts  by  his  more  at- 
tractive and  suitable  associates. 

A  young  cedar  bird  frequented  the  front  of  a 
house  in  quest  of  honeysuckle  berries ;  at  length,  on 
receiving  food,  probably  also,  abandoned  by  his 
roving  parents,  he  threw  himself  wholly  on  the  pro- 
tection of  his  benefactor.  Day  and  night  he  still 
regularly  attended  the  dessert  of  the  dinner  table  for 
his  portion  of  fruit,  and  remained  steadfast  in  his  at- 
tachment to  his  master  till  he  was  killed  by  an  ac- 
cident, being  unfortunately  trodden  under  foot. 


92  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  STRAWBERRIES. 


HERE  is  my  little  basket  1 
Said  Abba  to  Mamma  ; 

I  wish  to  take  a  little  walk ; 
I  won't  go  very  far. 

So  please  don't  ask  me,  mother, 

What  I  have  found  to  do : 
T  is  something  very  pleasant ; 

You  '11  think  so  when  you  know. 

Then  Abba  took  the  basket 

Without  another  word, 
And  tripped  along  the  green  lane 

As  merry  as  a  bird. 

Then  she  crept  between  some  bushes, 
Put  her  basket  on  the  ground, 

And,  hid  beneath  a  green  leaf, 
A  little  strawberry  found. 

Another  and  another 

Was  in  her  basket  placed, 
Her  eyes  with  pleasure  glistened, 

Though  not  one  she  stopped  to  taste. 


THE    STRAWBERRIES. 


93 


And  when  the  pretty  basket 

With  the  ripe  red  fruit  was  filled, 

With  flowers  and  leaves  placed  over  it; 
Then  little  Abba  smiled. 

She  put  it  on  the  table, 

As  soon  as  she  reached  home? 
Nor  said  one  word  about  it 

Till  supper  time  was  come. 

I  think  mamma  looked  happy, 

And  gave  her  a  sweet  kiss, 
Which  made  them  seem  far  nicer 

Than  other  strawberries. 


94 


THE   CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  PICTURE. 


OTHER,   what   does   this   picture 

mean?" 
"  Which  picture,  dear  V9 
"Why,   this    one.      Look   here. 

There's  a  man  at  a  table,  with  a 

wine-glass  in  his  hand — I  guess  he 
don't  belong  to  the  temperance  society — and 
a  young  man  sitting  by  him,  leaning  his 
arms  upon  the  table.  Then  there  is  a  little 
girl  with  something  in  her  hand,  which  she 
is  bringing  in  to  put  upon  the  table.     The 


THE    PICTURE.  95 

man  points  his  finger  at  what  she  has  brought,  and 
I  think,  don't  look  pleased." 

"  Well,  Alice,  what  do  you  make  out  of  the 
picture  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  think  of  it,  mother. 
They  can't  be  eating  breakfast,  for  all  the  plates 
look  as  if  they  were  filled  with  apples,  or,  may  be, 
peaches.  And  there  is  a  pitcher  on  the  table.  It 
can't  be  dinner  either,  and,  as  to  supper,  I  should 
think  apples  would  make  a  queer  supper.  What  do 
you  think  of  it,  mother  V 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is !"  speaks  up  George, 
boldly. 

"  Tell  us,  then,  George,"  replies  mother. 

"  It 's  a  gentleman  and  his  son,  who  have  gone 
inio  a  public  house,  and  called  for  dinner,  and  the 
little  girl  who  is  waiting  on  them  has  brought  them 
nothing  but  apples.  Of  course,  the  man  is  scolding 
her  about  it,  and  telling  her  to  go  back  and  bring 
them  something  better." 

"  Is  that  it,  mother  ?     Is  George  right  1" 

"  I  should  think  it  doubtful,  Alice." 

"  May  be  they  are  all  eggs.  They  look  as  much 
like  eggs  as  apples." 

"  I  don't  believe  they  are  eggs,  George,"  returns 
Alice. 

"  May  be  they  ain't.  But  they  are  something. 
And  I  am  sure  the  man  is  scolding  the  little  girl. 
Don't  you  think  so,  mother  ?" 

"  He  looks  as  if  he  were.     But  I  can't  tell.     Nor 


96 


THE  CHRISTMAS   TREE. 


do  I  know  whether  the  plates  contain  eggs  or 
apples." 

"  Any  how,  there  are  no  knives  or  forks  to  eat 
with,"  breaks  in  George.     "  What  a  funny  dinner  !" 

"  The  little  girl  hasn't  set  the  table  right  and  the 
man  is  scolding  her.  That's  it,  I  know,"  says 
Alice. 

"  Perhaps  it  is,"  mother  replies.  "  But  I  can't 
make  much  out  of  it.  I  think  the  picture  maker 
might  have  given  us  something  better." 

"  And  so  do  I,"  said  Alice. 

"  I  don't  know,"  returns  George.  "  It 's  a  funny 
picture,  and  has  made  us  try  ourselves  at  guessing, 
and  I  guess  that  hasn't  done  us  any  harm." 

Mother  laughed,  and  Alice  laughed,  and  then  they 
turned  to  something  else  in  the  book,  as  we  hope 
our  little  readers  will  do. 


MM       i 

zL 

id 

RICE-BIRD,  OR  BOB-'OLINKUM. 


(98) 


RICE  BIRD,  OR  BOB-o'LINKUM.  99 


RICE  BIRD,  OR  BOB-O'LINKUM. 

AIL,  vocal  sprite, — hail,  feathered 
troubadour ! 
In  pilgrim's  weeds  through  many 
a  clime  a  ranger, 
Com'st  thou  to  doff  thy  russet  suit 
once  more, 
And   play,  in   foppish   trim,  the 
masking  stranger  ? 
Philosophers  may  teach  thy  whereabouts  and 
nature ; 

But,  wise  as  all  of  us,  perforce,  must  think 
'em, 
The  school-boy  best  has  fixed  thy  nomenclature, 
And  poets,  too,  must  call  thee  Bob-O'Linkum  ! 

Say !  art  thou,  long  mid  forest  glooms  benighted, 

So  glad  to  skim  our  laughing  meadows  over, — 
With  our  gay  orchards  here  so  much  delighted, 

It  makes  thee  musical,  thou  airy  rover? 
Or  are  those  buoyant  notes  the  pilfered  treasure 

Of  fairy  isles,  which  thou  hast  learned  to  ravish 
Of  all  their  sweetest  minstrelsy  at  pleasure, 

And,  Ariel-like,  again  on  men  to  lavish  1 

They  tell  sad  storks  of  thy  mad-cap  freaks, 
Wherever  o'er  the  land  thy  pathway  ranges ; 


100  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

And  even  in  a  brace  of  wandering  weeks, 

They  say,  alike  thy  song  and  plumage  changes. 

Here  both  are  gay  ;  and  when  the  buds  put  forth, 
And  leafy  June  is  shading  rock  and  river, 

Thou  art  unmatched,  blithe  warbler  of  the  North, 
When  through  the  balmy  air  thy  clear  notes  quiver. 

Joyous,  yet  tender, — was  that  gush  of  song 

Learned  from  the   brooks,  where  mid  its  wild 
flowers,  smiling. 
The  silent  prairie  listens  all  day  long, 

The  only  captive  to  such  sweet  beguilings  ? 
Or  didst  thou,  flitting  through  the  verdurous  halls 

And  columned  isles  of  western  groves  sympho- 
nious, 
Learn  from  the  tuneful  woods  rare  madrigals, 

To  make  our  flowering  pastures  here  harmonious  f 

Caught' st  thou  thy  carol  from  Ottawa  maid, 

Where,  through  the  liquid  fields  of  wild-rice  plash- 

Brushing  the  ears  from  off  the  burdened  blade, 
Her  birch  canoe  o'er  some  lone  lake  is  flashing  ? 

Or  did  the  reeds  of  some  savannah  south 

Detain  thee,  while  thy  northern  flight  pursuing, 

To  place  those  melodies  in  thy  sweet  mouth. 

The   spice-fed  winds   had  taught  them  in  their 
wooing  ? 

Unthrifty  prodigal ! — is  no  thought  of  ill 
Thy  ceaseless  roundelay  disturbing  ever  ? 


RICE  BIRD,  OR  BOB-0  LINKUM. 


101 


Or  doth  each  pulse  in  choiring  cadence  still 
Throb  on  in  music  till  at  rest  for  ever  ? 

Yet  now,  in  wildered  maze  of  concord  floating, 
'T  would  seem,  that  glorious  hymning  to  prolong, 

Old  Time,  in  hearing  thee  might  fall  a-doting, 
And  pause  to  listen  to  thy  rapturous  song ! 


102 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  COCK, 


NE  winter  night  a  hungry  Fox  heard 
a  Cock  crowing  in  a  tree.  Unable 
to  climb,  he  sat  himself  down  under 
the  tree,  and  began  as  follows : 

"  Well,  Mr.  Cock,  how  can  you 
sing  so  well,  this  cold  night  ?" 
"  I  am  announcing  the  daylight." 
What !  the  daylight  1     How  can  that  be  1 
It  is  now  dark  night !" 

Do  you  not  know  that  morning  is  at  hand, 
and  that  it  is  the  custom  of  our  race  to  fore- 
tell it?' 
"  This  is  something  really  Godlike,"  answered  the 
Fox ;   "  I  thought  only  prophets  were  capable  of 
such  wisdom.     O,  Mr.  Cock,  well  may  I  wonder  at 
your  song  !" 

The  Cock  crowed  again.      The  Fox  began  to 
dance  round  the  tree. 

"  What  are  you  dancing  for  V  asked  the  Cock. 

"  How  can  I  help  dancing,  when   I  hear   such 

music  ?    You  know  we  must  rejoice  with  the  merry. 

Oh,  Cock,  you  are  the  prince  of  birds;  you  sing 

much  better  than  any  bird  I  ever  heard,  and  besides, 


THE   FOX   AND    THE   COCK. 


103 


you  can  prophesy  !  What  would  I  give  for  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  so  gifted  a  creature  !  O 
come  down,  royal  bird,  and  let  me  embrace  you." 

The  silly  Cock,  delighted  with  so  much  flattery, 
came  down  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  the  Fox,  who, 
laughing  in  his  sleeve,  soon  eat  up  the  Prophet. 


■^^^^J ^2S 


104 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


THE  UNKNOWN  PATIENT. 


H !  dear  mamma,  you  are  so  good !" 
said  little  Charley  Murray,  as  he  took 
from  his  mother's  hands  a  pretty  pic- 
ture book,  she  had  bought  for  him 
that  morning.      "  I  am  sure  I  will 
never  disobey  you  again." 
Not  if  you  are  always  kind  and  grateful," 
replied  the  mother,  "  but  little  boys  like  you 
sometimes  forget  what  their  parents  tell  them, 
and  that  always  makes  them  both  unhappy." 


THE   UNKNOWN   PATIENT.  105 

"  O,  well,  but  you  are  so  good  to  me,  that  I  can- 
not be  naughty." 

"  You  are  very  good  and  obedient  now,  my  dear 
Charles,  but  you  must  take  care  that,  when  you  grow 
up  to  be  a  big  man,  you  do  not  become  naughty  and 
wicked,  like  a  young  man  of  whom  I  once  read  in 
a  story." 

"  O,  do  tell  me  the  story  mamma,  I  do  love  to  hear 
you  tell  your  pretty  stories !" 

There  lived  in  Germany,  said  the  mother,  a  great 
while  ago,  a  very  happy  old  man  and  his  wife,  who 
had  an  only  child.  He  was  a  son,  and  they  loved 
him  very  much,  for  he  was  good  and  obedient. 
When  he  grew  up,  he  became  very  anxious  to  be- 
come a  painter,  and  he  was  always  drawing  pretty 
pictures  and  paintings  of  houses,  trees,  and  land- 
scapes. So  his  father,  who  was  a  great  doctor,  and 
very  rich,  sent  him  to  Italy,  where  there  were  a  great 
many  painters  to  teach  him,  and  a  great  many  pretty 
paintings  to  look  at,  that  he  might  learn  how  to  make 
pictures  himself.  The  son  was  very  glad  to  go  and 
see  such  a  beautiful  country,  and  so  many  pictures, 
and  he  joyfully  got  ready  for  the  journey.  But  when 
he  came  to  part  with  his  father  and  mother,  he  felt 
very  sorrowful,  for  he  loved  them  very  much.  They 
wept  too,  when  they  bid  him  good-bye,  for  they  knew 
they  would  feel  lonely  when  he  was  gone.  They 
feared,  too,  that  some  evil  might  happen  to  him,  or 
that  he  might  fall  into  bad  company,  and  form  bad 
habits  when  in  a  strange  land,  far  away  from  his 
home.  So  they  gave  him  a  great  deal  of  good  ad- 
7 


106  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

vice,  and  told  him  never  to  forget  to  pray  to  God  for 
direction  and  assistance.  They  told  him,  too,  to  be 
honest  and  temperate,  and  to  be  very  careful  what 
acquaintances  and  friends  he  made.  He  listened  to 
their  advice,  and  promised  to  do  as  they  wished  him 
in  all  things,  until  he  returned  to  them  again. 

Now,  he  had  a  long  journey  to  go,  before  he 
reached  Italy,  and  he  often  thought  how  much  he 
would  love  to  see  his  dear  parents  and  sit  in  his  own 
home  again.  But  when  he  reached  Italy,  he  saw  a 
great  many  curious  sights,  and  enjoyed  himself  very 
much  in  looking  at  the  wonderful  things  he  had  never 
before  seen,  and  he  began  to  think  less  about  home. 
By  and  by  he  got  tired  of  the  city  where  he  was 
living,  and  moved  into  the  country,  where  he  could 
enjoy  the  fresh  air,  and  walk  in  the  pleasant  fields 
and  woods.  He  found  a  pretty  cottage  in  a  shady 
grove,  in  which  there  lived  an  old  lady  and  her  only 
daughter,  and  he  thought  h*e  would  love  to  live  with 
them  while  he  stayed  there.  The  old  lady  was  very 
poor,  and  he  offered  her  a  good  deal  of  money  for 
his  board,  so  she  said  he  might  come  to  live  with 
her.  He  lived  there,  happily,  for  the  place  was  very 
quiet  and  pretty,  and  he  loved  to  talk  to  Angela, 
the  daughter  of  the  old  lady,  for  she  was  both  beau- 
tiful and  kind.  He  loved  her  very  much,  and  was 
so  good  to  her,  and  told  her  so  many  pretty  stories 
about  Germany,  his  own  country,  that  she  loved  him 
as  well  as  he  did  her.  They  spent  many  pleasant 
days  together,  and  he  promised  to  take  her  back 
with  him  to  Germany,  where  his  parents  lived. 


THE   UNKNOWN   PATIENT.  107 

But  at  last  he  began  to  be  absent  more  than  usual 
from  the  cottage,  and  did  not  talk  so  much  with 
Angela.  The  reason  of  this  was,  that  he  got  ac- 
quainted with  a  very  wicked  man,  who  took  him 
away,  and  learned  him  to  swear,  and  get  drunk  like 
himself.  Angela  became  very  unhappy,  because  he 
did  not  love  her  so  well  as  he  had  done,  but  he 
did  not  mind  her  sorrow.  One  day,  after  speaking 
harshly  to  her,  he  went  away,  and  never  returned  to 
her  again. 

A  little  while  after  he  had  left  her  so  cruelly,  her 
mother  was  taken  sick  and  died.  She  felt  very  lonely 
where  she  was,  for  everything  around  her  made  her 
think  of  her  dear  mother,  who  was  dead.  She 
thought  she  would  like  better  to  live  in  Germany, 
for  Freymond — that  was  the  young  man's  name — 
had  told  her  what  a  pleasant  country  it  was :  so  she 
sold  the  cottage  and  all  the  furniture  for  some  money, 
and  came  to  the  very  town  where  he  had  lived,  in 
Germany.  She  thought  she  would  love  to  remain 
there,  so  she  began  to  look  for  some  place  to  support 
herself.  She  had  been  there  but  a  few  days,  when 
a  man  came  to  the  town,  bringing  with  him  a  black 
servant,  who  seemed  to  be  a  perfect  slave. 

This  man  was  taken  sick  at  the  public  tavern,  and 
was  near  dying,  when  his  servant  went  to  get  the 
doctor,  (who  was  the  father  of  Freymond)  to  come 
and  see  him,  and,  if  possible,  to  cure  him.  He  was 
lying  on  a  bed,  out  of  his  head,  and  spoke  harshly  to 
the  doctor,  and  swore  at  him.  But  the  doctor  was 
a  good  man  and  very  kind,  so  he  did  all  he  could 


108  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

to  cure  the  sick  man,  who  seemed  to  be  very  wicked. 
After  the  patient  got  into  a  sleep  at  night,  the  doctor 
went  to  his  house  to  get  some  rest.  He  got  up  early 
the  next  morning,  and  went  out  into  the  fields  to  ga- 
ther plants  and  roots  to  make  medicine  for  the  sick 
man.  While  he  was  in  the  field,  Angela  approached 
him  and  commenced  talking  to  him,  for  she  had 
learned  how  to  speak  the  German  language  from 
Freymond.  She  soon  found  that  he  was  the  father 
of  the  young  man  she  loved  so  well.  He  asked  her 
who  she  was,  and  she  told  him  how  she  had  loved 
Freymond,  and  then  how  he  had  left  her,  and  that 
her  mother  having  died,  she  had  come  to  Germany. 

The  old  man,  when  he  heard  who  she  was,  and 
how  wicked  his  son  had  become,  began  to  weep 
bitterly,  and  he  and  Angela  talked  together  for  a  long 
time,  as  they  sat  beneath  a  tree,  near  by  a  running 
brook.    At  length  he  said — 

"  God  is  good  to  all  that  call  upon  his  name  ;  let 
us  pray  together." 

So  the  two  knelt  down,  side  by  side,  and  prayed 
that  God  would  bring  back  the  poor  wandering  son. 
When  they  had  been  praying  some  time,  they  heard 
some  one  sobbing  behind  them,  and  looking  around, 
they  saw  the  servant  of  the  sick  man,  weeping,  and 
stooping  over  the  stream  washing  his  face.  When 
he  turned  towards  them,  he  had  washed  the  black 
off  his  face,  and  running  to  them,  he  sobbed — 

"  I  am  Freymond  !  I  have  heard  you  praying  for 
me,  and  God,  too,  has  heard  and  answered  your 
prayers.    Dear  father  !  can  you  forgive  your  wicked 


THE  UNKNOWN  PATIENT. 


109 


son?  'Angela!  I  have  been  cruel  to  you  too— will 
you  love  me  again  V1 

They  clasped  him  in  their  arms,  and  they  all  wept 
tears  of  joy  together.  The  young  man,*  who  had 
been  so  wicked,  was  forgiven  by  his  father  and  An- 
gela. They  then  returned  joyfully  to  the  home  of 
the  old  man,  where  the  mother  of  Freymond  wept 
tears  of  jov  at  seeing  her  long  lost  son  again. 

The  sick  man  got  well  slowly,  and  the  good  doc- 
tor, who  had  saved  his  life,  talked  so  to  him  about 
his  wickedness  that  he  was  very  sorry  for  it— and 
became  a  good  man. 

Freymond  and  Angela  were  married  a  short  time 
after  and  lived  happily  together,  for  Freymond  was 
sorry  that  he  had  been  so  wicked,  and  had  deter- 
mined to  act  better  as  long  as  he  lived. 

His  past  wickedness  and  disobedience  had  made 
all  around  him  unhappy,  but  he  afterwards  was  so 
kind  and  gentle  to  everybody,  that  he  made  them 
all  love  him. 

Children  who  would  be  happy  themselves,  and 
make  others  love  them,  must  always  be  good,  kind 
and  obedient. 


110 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


THE  RECONCILIATION. 


LIZABETH  and  Caroline  were  one 
day  playing  in  the  garden.     They 
had  each  a  separate  flower  bed,  and 
were  always  happy  when  they  were 
watering  and  weeding  them.     They 
loved  each  other,  for  they  were  sisters,  and 
had  a  good  mother,  who  taught  them  to  be 
kind.     But  one  day,  when  they  were  play- 
ing together  in  the  garden,  Caroline  stepped 
upon    a    beautiful    cluster    of   violets,   that 
Elizabeth  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  care  to 


THE   RECONCILIATION.  Ill 

keep  free  from  weeds.  Her  foot  trampled  the  flow- 
ers into  the  soft  ground,  and  broke  them  off  from 
their  stems,  so  that  they  were  entirely  spoiled. 
Elizabeth  was  vexed  wtth  her  sister,  for  she  thought 
a  great  deal  of  the  violets,  and  spoke  very  harshly 
and  angrily. 

"  O !  look,  you  careless  girl,  you  have  spoiled  my 
pretty  flowers  !  You  are  always  doing  something 
bad  to  me.  Now  what  shall  I  do  V1  And  she  be- 
gan to  cry.  "* 

Caroline  tried  to  comfort  her. 

"I  did  not  mean  to  do  it.  I  am  very  sorry  ;  here 
are  some  beautiful  roses  from  my  rose-bush.  See 
how  blooming  they  are !  You  shall  have  them  in 
place  of  the  violets  !" 

But  Elizabeth  only  pouted  in  return,  and  impa- 
tiently dashing  the  flowers  to  the  ground,  trampled 
upon  them.  Her  sister  then  became  angry  too,  for 
she  saw  that  her  roses  were  spoiled.     So  she  said, 

"  What  a  naughty  girl  you  are,  to  waste  my 
beautiful  bunch  of  flowers,  just  because  I  happened 
to  step  upon  your  violets.  I  won't  play  with  you, 
you  are  so  ugly." 

So  the  two  sisters  went  to  playing  by  themselves, 
and  neither  of  them  would  speak  to  the  other. 

By  and  by,  Elizabeth  began  to  grow  tired  of  the 
long  silence.  She  was  unhappy,  because  she  knew 
that  she  had  done  wrong  in  speaking  so  harshly  to 
her  sister.  She  thought  how  good  Caroline  had 
been  to  her,  in  offering  her  the  roses,  and  was  very 


112 


THE   CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


sorry  for  her  bad  conduct.  So  she  ran  to  her,  and 
told  her  she  didn't  want  to  be  angry  any  longer,  and 
asked  her  to  forgive  her  for  having  been  so  naughty. 

Caroline  embraced  her,  and  joining  their  little 
hands,  they  promised  to  be  better  in  future,  and  not 
let  an  angry  word  come  between  them  to  make  them 
unhappy. 

To  be  happy,  we  must  be  good. 


THE    RAIN-DROP.  113 


THE  RAIN-DROP. 


H !  little  rain-drop, 
I  've  caught  you  here, 

In  this  white  lily  bell 
Shining  so  clear. 

And  before  the  sun 
Takes  you  away, 

I  want  you  just 
One  word  to  say. 

What  do  you  do 

Up  in  the  sky, 
On  those  soft  clouds 
So  far  and  high  ? 

I  've  heard  that  you  make 
Bright  rainbows  there, 
And  paint  those  clouds 
That  float  in  the  air. 

And  more  pretty  things 
They  say  you  do, 

Now,  little  rain-drop, 
Is  it  all  true  ? 


114  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

A  sunbeam  peeped 
In  the  rain  drop's  eye, 

And  whispered  some  tale 
Of  its  home  on  high. 

It  glistened  a  moment," 
No  answer  did  come, 

For  on  the  bright  sunbeam 
The  rain  drop  ran  home. 


THE  COMMON  BULLFINCH. 


UK!) 


THE    COMMON    BULLFINCH.  117 


THE  COMMON  BULLFINCH. 

N  another  part  of  this  book  we  have 
given  our  readers  a  picture  of  the  Social 
Bullfinch.  We  now  present  them  with 
one  of  the  common  Bullfinch,  a  species 
that  is  widely  spread.  These  birds  are 
common  in  most  parts  of  the  north  of 
Europe;  but  in  the  south  they  occur  only  as 
birds  of  passage.  They  are  said  to  winter  in 
Italy.  One  writer  remarks  that  near  the 
Alps  they  are  called  the  Winter  Finch.  They 
are  common  in  Germany,  and  it  is  from  that 
place  that  most  of  the  piping  bullfinches  are  brought. 
He  also  remarks  that  there  are  schools  for  these 
feathered  songsters  in  Hesse  and  Fulda.  Another 
writer  says  that  they  are  found  in  Japan.  In  Eng- 
land the  Bullfinch  is  a  constant  resident.  The  upper 
part  of  the  body  is  grey.  The  wings  and  under 
parts  are  red,  and  the  tail  black.  It  feeds  on  pine 
or  fir  seeds,  on  corn,  linseed,  and  mille^  Its  natural 
song  is  soft  and  simple,  and  so  low  as  to  be  scarcely 
heard;  but  when  properly  taught,  it  can  whistle 
musical  airs.  The  female  is  not  so  beautiful,  nor  so 
easily  taught  as  the  male.  The  best  time  to  teach 
them  is  after  they  have  eaten,  as  is  also  the  case  with 
the  Parrot.  Nine  months  are  necessary  before  the 
bird  can  be  properly  taught.     They  have  become 


118 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


greatly  attached  to  persons  who  rear  them.  They 
have  been  known  to  leave  the  aviary  for  a  year,  and 
hearing  the  well-known  voice  of  the  person  who  has 
reared  them,  have  returned.  Others  have  been 
known  to  die  of  grief,  when  forced  to  leave  their 
masters.  They  will  remember  an  injury.  One  of 
them,  when  thrown  down,  cage  and  all,  did  not  seem 
to  notice  it  at  first,  but  afterwards,  if  it  saw  a  meanly 
dressed  person,  would  fall  into  convulsions.  In  one 
of  these  fits  it  died.  Another,  belonging  to  a  lady, 
was  subject  to  frightful  dreams,  and  under  their  in- 
fluence would  fall  from  its  perch  and  beat  itself  in 
its  cage.  But  so  soon  as  it  heard  the  voice  of  its 
mistress  it  would  become  quiet.  They  are  useful  in 
destroying  the  worms  that  infest  the  gardens  in 
spring ;  but  they  are  also  a  source  of  great  vexation 
to  the  gardeners,  for  they  destroy  the  buds  of  the 
trees  before  the  blossoms  break  forth,  and  are  very 
dainty  in  their  choice  of  them.  They  have  been 
known  to  strip  a  middling  sized  plum  tree  of  its  buds 
in  two  days.  Having  feasted  on  the  gardens  a 
while,  they  leave  them  entirely,  and  seek  the  fields 
and  hedges,  where  the  sloe-bush,  in  April,  furnishes 
them  with  foed. 


THE  CHINCHTLLA. 


(120) 


THE   CHINCHILLA.  121 


THE  CHINCHILLA. 

Y  far  the  earliest  account  which  we 
have  of  this  little  animal,  is  taken 
jfrom  a  book  called  "  The  Natural 
and  Moral  History  of  the  East  and 
West  Indies,"  published  at  a  place 
called  Barcelona,  in  Spain.  The  writer,  in 
speaking  of  it,  says,  "  The  Chinchillas  are 
another  kind  of  small  beasts,  like  squirrels. 
They  have  a  wonderful  smooth  skin,  which 
the  natives  believe  to  be  healthful,  when 
worn  over  the  chest,  and  other  parts  of  the 
body  which  require  a  moderate  heat."  Another 
writer  in  speaking  of  it,  says,  that  among  other 
small  beasts,  they  have  one  called  Chinchillas,  whose 
skin  is  very  delicate,  soft,  and  of  a  gray  color.  Its 
fur  is  very  much  prized  in  Peru  and  other  parts  of 
South  America.  Few  of  them  come  to  Spain,  be- 
cause they  are  very  difficult  to  catch.  They  are 
seen  in  great  numbers  in  Chili,  where  they  are  hunted 
by  boys  with  dogs.  It  is  a  sort  of  field-rat ;  in  great 
estimation  for  the  fineness  of  its  wool,  which,  by 
some  persons  is  said  to  be  as  soft  and  fine  as  the  web 
of  our  garden  spider.  It  measures  six  inches  from 
its  nose  to  its  tail,  has  pointed  ears,  teeth  like  a 
8 


122  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

house  rat,  and  a  long  tail  clothed  with  soft  fur.  It 
feeds  on  bulbous  roots,  or  roots  that  are  enveloped 
with  skins,  which  grow  very  extensively  there,  and 
produces,  twice  every  year,  five  or  six  young  at  a 
birth.  It  is  timid,  gentle,  and  docile ;  so  much  so, 
that  when  it  is  caught  it  does  not  attempt  to  bite  or 
escape,  but  seems  to  delight  in  being  caressed.  The 
offensive  smell  and  uncleanliness  of  other  rats,  do 
not  appear  in  this  cleanly  little  animal.  The  ancient 
Peruvians,  who  seem  to  have  been  more  industrious 
than  the  modern,  made  coverlets  for  their  beds,  and 
their  clothes  from  its  wool. 

The  fur  of  the  Chinchilla  is  much  used  as  an 
article  of  dress  by  ladies  in  modern  times.  Great 
numbers  of  them  are  brought  to  Santiago  and  Val- 
paraiso, from  whence  they  are  exported. 


WILLY  AND  THE  BEGGAR  GIRL.  123 


WILLY  AND  THE  BEGGAR  GIRL. 

EAR  mother,  an  apple  I" 
Cried  Willy,  one  day, 
Coming  in,  with  his  cheeks 

Glowing  bright,  from  his  play. 
*  I  want  a  nice  apple, 
A  large  one  and  red." 
"  For  whom  do  you  wish  it  V 
His  kind  mother  said. 

"  You  know  a  big  apple 

I  gave  you  at  noon ; 
And  now  for  another, 

My  boy,  it 's  too  soon." 
"  There's  a  poor  little  girl 

At  the  door,  mother  dear," 
Said  Will,  while  within 

His  mild  eye  shone  a  tear. 

"  She  says,  since  last  evening 

She 's  eaten  no  bread. 
Her  feet  are  all  naked, 

And  bare  is  her  head. 
Like  me,  she  's  no  mother 

To  love  her,  I'm  sure, 
Or  she  'd  not  look  so  hungry 

And  ragged,  and  poor. 


124  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

"  Let  me  give  her  an  apple ; 

She  wants  one  I  know ; 
A  nice,  large,  red  apple, — 

Oh  !  do  not  say  no." 
First  a  kiss  to  the  lips 

Of  her  generous  boy, 
Mamma  gave  with  a  feeling 

Of  exquisite  joy — 

For  goodness,  whene'er 

In  a  child  it  is  seen, 
Gives  joy  to  the  heart 

Of  a  mother,  I  ween — 
And  then  led  him  out,  where, 

Still  stood  by  the  door, 
A  poor  little  beggar  girl, 

Ragged  all  o'er. 

"  Please  ma'am,  I  am  hungry," 

The  little  thing  said, 
"  Will  you  give  me  to  eat 

A  small  piece  of  bread  V* 
"  Yes,  child,  you  shall  have  it ; 

But  who  sends  you  out 
From  dwelling  to  dwelling 

To  wander  about  1" 

A  pair  of  mild  eyes 
To  the  lady  were  raised ; 

*  My  mother 's  been  sick 
For  a  great  many  days. 


WILLY   AND    THE   BEGGAR    GIRL.  125 

So  sick  she  don't  know  me." 

Sobs  stifled  the  rest — 
And  heaved  with  young  sorrow, 

That  innocent  breast. 

Just  then  from  the  store-room — 

Where  wee  Willy  ran, 
As  his  mother  to  question 

The  poor  child  began — 
Came  forth  the  sweet  boy, 

With  a  large  loaf  of  bread, 
Held  tight  in  his  tiny  hands 

High  o'er  his  head. 

"  Here's  bread  and  a  plenty ! 

Eat,  little  girl,  eat !" 
He  cried,  as  he  laid 

The  great  loaf  at  her  feet. 
The  mother  smiled  gently, 

Then,  quick  through  the  door 
Drew  the  sad  little  stranger, 

So  hungry  and  poor. 

With  words  kindly  spoken 

She  gave  her  nice  food, 
And  clothed  her  with  garments 

All  clean,  warm,  and  good. 
This  done,  she  was  leading 

Her  out,  when  she  heard 
Will  coming  down  stairs, 

Like  a  fluttering  bird. 


126  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

A  newly  bought  leghorn, 

With  green  bow  and  band, 
And  an  old,  worn  out  beaver, 

He  held  in  his  hand. 
"  Here  !  give  her  my  new  hat," 

He  cried, — "  I  can  wear 
My  black  one  all  summer, 

It 's  good — you  wont  care — 

"  Say,  will  you,  dear  mother  V9 

First  out  through  the  door, 
She  passed  the  girl  kindly ; 

Then  quick  from  the  floor 
Caught  up  the  dear  fellow — 

Kissed  and  kissed  him  again, 
While  her  glad  tears  fell  freely 

O  'er  his  sweet  face  like  rain. 


LA  G ALETTE. 


(12*) 


LA  GALETTE.  129 


LA  GALETTE. 

Mamma,   what    a    pretty   picture? 

Why  are  all  those  people  rushing  up 

Itowards    that   window  1     Some   of 

them  look  as  if  they  were  laughing, 

and  others  seem  to  be  almost  out  of 

patience  at  the  crowd,  by  the  looks 

of  their   faces !     But,  mamma,  what   is   this 

funny  name  at  the  bottom  of  the  picture  ?     I 

cannot  spell  it." 

"  That  is  La  Galette :  it  is  a  French  word." 
"  I   don't   know    what  La   Galette  means, 
mamma ;  will  you  tell  me  1" 

"  La  Galette  is  the  name  of  a  certain  kind  of 
cake,  of  which  the  people  of  Paris,  in  France,  are 
fond.  It  is  made  so  as  to  be  very  light  and  very 
good,  and  those  who  sell  it  now,  get  a  great  deal  of 
money  by  it. 

I  will  tell  you  a  story  about  a  poor  pastry-cook 
who,  a  great  many  years  ago,  had  a  very  small  shop 
in  Paris;  hardly  large  enough  to  hold  three  people 
So  nobody  would  go  inside,  but  bought  from  the 
window.  Well,  he  sold  nothing  but  this  curious 
cake,  called  La  Galette,  but  he  sold  it  from  morning 
until  night,  and  sometimes  almost  until  midnight. 
9 


130  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

Whenever  he  baked  a  new  cake,  or  G alette,  a 
crowd  of  people  always  rushed  to  the  window,  to 
buy  a  sow's-worth — that  is  the  same  as  a  cent's- 
worth — and  some  would  buy  two  or  three  sou's 
worth. 

As  soon  as  he  had  sold  one  of  these  cakes,  for 
they  were  very  large,  he  always  had  another  baked, 
ready  to  sell ;  so  he  did  nothing  all  day  long  but  cut 
his  cakes  and  take  the  money  for  the  pieces  he  sold. 
He  cut  away  so  busily  that  the  people  who  bought 
of  him  gave  him  a  nickname.  They  called  him 
Mr.  Cut. 

He  very  soon  got  rich,  for  he  was  the  only  one  in 
Paris  who  knew  how  to  make  this  curious  cake,  and 
he  then  quit  selling  and  working,  and  bought  a  fine 
house.  Here  he  enjoyed  himself  very  much,  for  he 
had  everything  he  wanted  to  make  him  happy. 

He  learned  a  friend  of  his  how  to  make  the  cake. 
This  man  had  a  beautiful  shop,  on  a  fine,  pretty 
street,  where  the  rich  and  gay  people  of  Paris  walk 
a  great  deal,  and  he  sold  to  them.  They  buy  three 
or  four  hundred  Gaieties  of  him  every  day,  and  the 
price  of  each  one  is  about  thirty  cents.  Now  can 
you  tell  me  how  much  money  he  gets  every  day,  if 
he  sells  four  hundred  ?  Get  your  slate  and  tell  me 
how  much  thirty  times  four  hundred  is.  Never 
mind,  I  will  tell  you  ;  it  is  twelve  thousand  cents, 
which  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  He  gets 
this  much  for  the  cakes,  and  they  cost  him  just  one 
half  of  this ;  so  you  see  that  he  makes  sixty  dollars 
every  day.     He  is  getting  rich  fast. 


^;V: 


THE  ARBOR. 

A  great  many  years 
ago,  England  was  full 
of  those  wicked  peo- 
ple, called  robbers. 
They  lived  in  the 
woods  and  in  caves, 
and  used  to  meet  lone- 
ly travellers  upon  their 


(131) 


132  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

everything  they  had,  that  was  of  any  value.  They 
were  very  cruel,  wicked  men,  and  sometimes  killed 
people  who  would  not  willingly  give  up  their  money. 

Ten  or  twelve  of  them  lived  together,  and  they 
chose  one  from  among  them,  whom  they  were  to 
obey.     They  called  him  their  captain. 

One  of  these  captains  lived,  with  his  companions, 
in  a  large  forest  near  Bentley,  a  little  town  in  Eng- 
land. They  robbed  a  great  many  men,  and  their 
captain  was  a  very  cruel,  but  a  very  brave  man.  His 
name  was  Robert  Dick.  When  a  very  small  boy, 
he  had  a  good  and  kind  mother,  who  taught  him  to 
read  and  pray.  In  the  summer  time,  she  used  to  sit 
in  a  beautiful  arbor  in  the  garden,  and  read  to  him 
pretty  stories,  and  talk  with  him.  But  when  he  was 
old  enough  to  know  how  to  spell  pretty  well,  his 
dear  mother  died,  and  he  was  taken  away  from  his 
home,  because  there  was  no  one  there  to  take  care 
of  him  and  he  went  to  live  among  strangers. 

After  he  grew  up  to  be  a  man,  he  went  to  the  city 
of  London.  He  was  delighted  with  its  singular 
palaces  and  curiosities,  and  lived  there  very  happily 
for  some  time.  But  being  very  rich,  he  had  a  great 
many  friends  who  pretended  to  love  him,  and  he  thus 
got  into  bad  company.  He  learned  all  kinds  of 
wickedness,  and  at  length,  he  wasted  all  his  money, 
and  did  not  know  how  he  could  get  his  living.  He 
became  acquainted  with  some  men  who  told  him  that 
if  he  would  live  with  them  in  the  woods,  and  rob 
travellers,  they  would  give  him  as  much  money  as  he 
wanted,  and  everything  else  he  desired.     He  went 


THE    ARBOR.  133 

with  them,  and  after  awhile  he  became  the  boldest 
robber  among  them,  and  they  made  him  the  captain 
of  the  band.  He  one  day  rushed  upon  an  old  man 
in  the  road,  and  with  an  oath,  told  him  to  give  up  his 
purse.  The  old  man,  looking  very  pale  and  fright- 
ened, turned  his  face  towards  him.  The  robber 
cried  out,  as  soon  as  he  saw  his  face,  "  It  is  my 
uncle  !" 

The  uncle  looked  at  him  in  surprise,  and  then 
asked  him, 

"  Are  you  my  nephew,  Robert  Dick  V9 

"  I  am,"  replied  the  robber. 

Then  the  uncle  talked  to  him  about  his  wicked- 
ness. He  told  him  how  all  his  relations  had  thought 
him  dead,  and  that  they  did  not  know  that  he  had 
become  a  robber.  He  then  besought  him  to  abandon 
that  wicked  life,  and  become  a  good  man.  He  also 
described  to  him  how  beautiful  his  cousin  Ellen,  his 
old  playmate  had  grown,  and  told  him  how  happy  they 
would  all  be,  if  he  would  leave  his  wicked  compan- 
ions and  return  to  his  friends.  He  asked  him,  too, 
if  he  had  ever  killed  any  of  the  men  he  had  robbed. 

The  young  man  said  that  he  had  not,  and  yielding 
to  the  wishes  of  his  uncle,  whom  he  loved,  and  being 
sorry  for  what  he  had  done,  he  promised  to  leave 
his  former  life  and  return  again  to  his  friends. 

But  first  he  went  to  London,  and  gave  himself  up 
to  the  judge,  told  him  that  he  had  been  the  robber 
called  Dick  Camp,  for  that  was  the  name  he  took 
while  he  was  a  robber,  and  was  pardoned  for  all  his 
crimes,  because  he  was  sorry  for  them. 


134 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


He  then  returned  to  his  friends  in  a  distant  part 
of  England,  and  lived  happily  with  them  ;  for  no  one 
but  his  uncle  knew  that  he  had  been  a  robber. 

He  spent  many  happy  hours  with  his  cousin  Ellen, 
reading  to  her  as  they  sat  in  the  arbor,  where,  when 
a  little  boy,  he  had  been  used  to  sit  with  his  mother. 
In  this  little  arbor  they  used  to  read  the  Bible  to- 
gether, and  here  prayed  God  to  forgive  him  for  all 
the  sins  of  his  former  wicked  life. 

One  day  when  he  had  been  with  Ellen  in  the 
arbor,  reading  to  her,  he  remained  after  she  had 
left.  Whilst  sitting  there,  he  thought  of  his  youth, 
and  how  that  if  he  had  then  obeyed  the  instructions 
of  his  dear  mother,  he  wrould  never  have  been  so 
wicked  and  cruel  as  to  rob  and  steal.  At  length  he 
fell  asleep,  and  he  dreamed  that  his  mother  was 
hovering  over  him  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  angel, 
repeating  to  him,  as  she  had  often  done  when  he  was 
but  a  little  boy,  "Remember  thy  Creator  in  the  days 
of  thy  youth." 

My  dear  little  children,  there  are  angels  just  like 
the  one  he  dreamed  of,  who  are  all  the  time  telling 
you  this.  Will  you  try  to  do  as  they  tell  you,  that 
you  may  live  with  them  in  heaven  when  you  die  1 


THE    KITCHEN. 


135 


THE  KITCHEN. 

OW  boys  !  here  's  a  kitchen,  with 
Betty,  the  cook,  looking  as  neat  as 
a  new  pin.  She  has  a  place  for 
everything,  and  everything  in  its 
place,  which  is  more  than  can  be 
said  of\all  cooks. 

"  But,  then,  she  is  so  cross.  If  I  go  in  to 
get  a  drink  of  water,  and  don't  put  the 
tumbler  back  upon  the  dresser,  she  scolds 
terribly.  Or,  if  I  push  a  chair  out  of  its 
place,  or  throw  down  the  shovel  and  tongs, 


136 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


or  do  anything  at  all  but  stand  like  a  stake  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor,  she  flies  into  a  passion,  and 
clears  me  out  in  quick  time. 

"  I  like  Betty  well  enough,  if  she  were  not  so  cross, 
She  makes  cakes,  elegant ;  and  pies,  and  puddings, 
and  all  them  things,  first  rate.     But  she  is  so  cross." 

Ah,  well,  Master  Henry,  all  roses  have  their 
thorns ;  but  it  is  well  to  keep  your  fingers  from  the 
stem,  or  at  least  to  take  hold  of  it  lightly.  Betty's 
kitchen  is  her  empire,  and  you  must  not  invade  it. 

Don't  think,  because  you  are  in  your  father's 
house,  that  you  have  a  right  to  turn  up  Jack  in  the 
kitchen.  Betty  will  never  allow  it,  and  your  father 
and  mother  will  both  stand  by  her  and  see  that  you 
behave  yourself.  Go  up  into  your  play  room,  and 
throw  things  about  as  much  as  you  please,  but  keep 
out  of  the  kitchen,  and  you  will  keep  out  of  trouble. 
So  there,  Master  Harry,  is  a  word  of  good  advice 
for  you. 


DISOBEDIENCE.  137 


DISOBEDIENCE. 

HERE  is  your  cousin,  Charles'!" 
said    Mrs.  Mortimer   to    her   son. 
I  wish  you  would  call  him,  and 
you  shall  both  walk  down  to  the 
village  with  me,  to  see  old  Martha." 
"  Oh,  mamma,  how  delightful !" 
exclaimed  Charles:  "  there  is  Edwin  water- 
ing the  roses.     I  will   run  out  to  him,  and 
we  shall  be  quite  ready  in  five  minutes." 

Mrs.  Mortimer  put  on  her  bonnet;  and 
giving  a  basket  to  each  of  the  boys  to  carry 
for  her,  they  set  out.  The  afternoon  was  fine  and 
warm ;  the  hedges  full  of  honeysuckles  and  wild 
roses;  and  the  children,  in  great  glee,  ran  round 
the  fields,  or  amused  themselves  in  plucking  wild 
flowers. 

At  the  gate  of  Martha's  cottage,  they  found  the 
old  woman,  leaning  upon  her  stick,  talking  to  her 
grandson,  who  bad  come  from  a  neighbouring  village 
to  pay  her  a  visit,  and  bring  her  a  present  of  money. 
His  donkey,  tied  to  a  hedge,  lazily  cropped  the  grass, 
or  shook  his  long  ears  to  drive  away  the  flies  which 
buzzed  incessantly  around  his  head.  The  two  boys 
approached  the  quiet  animal,  and  stroked  his  head 
9 


138  THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 

and  nose,  and  plucked  for  him  thistles,  which  grew 
in  abundance  near  the  roadside. 

Mrs.  Mortimer  at  first  did  not  perceive  that  they 
had  left  her  side ;  but  on  looking  round,  she  imme- 
diately called  to  them  to  come  into  the  garden,  and 
shut  the  gate,  and  not  go  near  the  donkey,  as  how- 
ever quiet  he  might  appear  to  be,  it  was  very  fool- 
ish to  play  with  strange  animals. 

They  obeyed  immediately ;  and  Mrs.  Mortimer 
accompanied  the  old  woman  into  her  cottage,  and 
sat  down  to  rest  herself.  The  children  had  not  been 
long  left  to  themselves,  when  Edwin  exclaimed, 
"  How  stupid  it  is  here,  Charles  ;  let  us  go  into  the 
lane." 

"  No,  no,"  replied  his  cousin,  "  mamma  bid  us 
stay  here." 

"  What  difference  can  it  make  to  her,"  said  Ed- 
win, "  whether  we  walk  up  and  down  this  narrow 
path,  or  play  in  the  lane  V' 

"  But  you  know,"  replied  Charles,  "  mamma  al- 
ways tells  us  to  be  good  and  obedient,  and  mind 
what  we  are  told." 

"  Yes,"  exclaimed  his  naughty  cousin :  "  if  she 
knew  we  had  not  obeyed  her ;  but  I  know  she  is 
going  to  have  a  long  talk  with  old  Martha;  and 
look,  her  grandson  is  also  gone  into  the  cottage. 
We  are  safe  now.  Come  along,  Charles — nobody 
can  see  us." 

"  I  will  not  go  with  you,  Edwin,"  said  his  cousin ; 
"  and  you  know  you  ought  not  to  leave  the  garden. 
Do  you  forget  that  though  mamma,  perhaps,  does 


DISOBEDIENCE.  139 

not  see  us,  God  will  1  and  he  will  punish  us  for  our 
disobedience.  Pray  stay  here  ;  indeed,  you  will  re- 
pent being  so  wicked." 

"  Nonsense !"  replied  Edwin ;  and  he  began 
singing: 

"  Come  when  j^ou  are  called, 
Do  as  you  are  bid  ; 
Shut  the  door  after  you, 

And  you  will  never  be  chid." 

"  That 's  you,  Charles — now  I  like  fun  !"  and  so 
saying,  the  silly,  thoughtless  boy  threw  open  the 
gate,  and  ran  into  the  lane. 

Charles,  I  must  own,  gazed  wistfully  after  him. 
The  honeysuckles  looked  so  tempting;  their  long 
branches,  laden  with  flowers,  seemed  to  bend  to- 
wards him  :  then  the  wet  ditch  that  bordered  the  lane 
was  full  of  such  beautiful  large  pilewort,  so  bright 
and  shining — they  would  make  such  a  lovely  gar- 
land !  his  foot  was  on  the  edge  of  the  garden-walk. 
Another  moment  and  his  good  resolutions  would 
have  all  vanished :  when,  suddenly,  he  remembered 
that  part  of  his  morning's  portion  of  the  catechism 
was  the  Fifth  Commandment,  which  taught  him  to 
honour  his  father  and  mother.  "  And  shall  I  honour 
mamma  if  I  dispbey  her?"  he  said  to  himself;  "  Oh 
no ;  I  will  remain  here,  and  wait  till  she  gives  me 
leave  to  quit  the  garden ;"  and  he  turned  away  and 
went  to  the  other  end  of  the  walk. 

My  little  readers  must  not  imagine  that  Charles 
kept  to  this  good  resolution  without  a  pang  ;  although 


140  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

he  felt  and  knew  that  he  was  doing  right,  still,  when 
he  saw  Edwin  running  up  and  down,  he  felt  a  very- 
great  wish  to  join  him ;  but  he  had  listened  to,  and 
profited  by  his  mother's  good  advice  and  example, 
and  he  called  to  his  cousin,  entreating  him  to 
return. 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  Edwin;  "you  may  play  there, 
since  you  like  it ;  but  I  have  run  till  I  am  out  of 
breath,  and  now  intend  to  ride  till  I  am  rested. 
Come  here,  Teddy !"  he  cried  to  the  donkey,  whose 
bridle  he  unloosed,  and  by  the  help  of  a  large  stone, 
soon  contrived  to  scramble  on  to  the  animal's  back ; 
and  though  his  short  legs  could  not  nearly  reach  the 
stirrups,  he  held  on  by  the  mane  with  one  hand,  and 
made  the  donkey  walk  away.  In  vain  Charles  called 
him  back ;  away  he  went,  kicking  his  quiet  steed 
whenever  a  fine  thistle  tempted  him  to  stop  and  seize 
upon  it ;  and  singing  loudly,  to  drown  the  entreaties 
of  his  cousin.  One  evil  step  is  soon  followed  by 
another.  Edwin  had  commenced  by  disobedience, 
— he  now  added  cruelty  to  his  other  faults.  The 
donkey,  accustomed  to  a  slow  pace,  walked  leisurely 
along ;  but  its  ambitious  rider  became  anxious  to 
show  his  cousin  how  well  he  could  manage  his 
steed :  he  therefore  pulled  a  thick  stick  from  the 
hedge,  and  finding  the  animal  paid  no  attention  to 
his  kicks  and  scoldings,  he  began  to  beat  him  on  the 
neck  and  head.  This  cruel  treatment  of  an  innocent, 
unoffending  animal,  was  soon  punished,  and  in  a 
manner  he  little  expected,  for  the  donkey  suddenly 
began  to  canter,  then  gallop ;  and  Edwin,  in  a  very 


DISOBEDIENCE.  141 

few  minutes,  repented  his  disobedience.  In  vain  he 
screamed  for  aid  and  assistance ;  in  vain  he  pulled 
the  bridle  ;  Teddy  only  went  faster  and  faster — quite 
heedless  of  his  cries,  till  he  found  himself  obliged  to 
let  go  the  rein,  and  cling  on  by  the  mane  and 
saddle. 

In  this  manner,  like  the  renowned  Johnny  Gilpin 
of  old,  he  scampered  through  the  vHlage  ;  and  as  he 
galloped,  the  noise  of  the  clattering  hoofs  on  the 
pavement,  brought  the  startled  inhabitants  to  their 
doors  and  windows,  but  no  one  could  give  him  any 
help ;  when  suddenly  the  donkey,  turning  short 
round,  rushed  down  a  narrow  lane  ;  and  finally,  by 
stopping  short  on  the  brink  of  a  pond  where  he  was 
accustomed  to  drink,  his  luckless  rider  was  thrown 
from  his  back  into  the  pool.  His  unexpected  plunge 
in  the  water  caused  new  fright  and  consternation  ; 
for  just  at  that  time  a  large  flock  of  geese  and  ducks 
were  swimming  about ;  and  much  alarmed  at  Ed- 
win's violent  immersion,  they  quacked,  cackled,  and 
flapped  their  wings  so  loudly,  that  the  donkey  turned 
and  galloped  away ;  and  the  old  women  rushed  to 
the  pond,  armed  with  broomsticks,  pokers,  and  any 
weapon  they  could  find,  imagining  that  nothing  less 
than  a  half-a-dozen  foxes  attacking  their  fowls,  could 
have  caused  such  a  din.  Meanwhile,  the  author  of 
all  this  confusion  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  pond,  stuck 
quite  fast  in  the  mud — every  now  and  then  receiving 
a  flap  from  the  wing  of  a  goose,  or  a  bite  from  the 
bill, — and  nearly  dead  with  fright,  cold,  and  noise ; 
fortunately,  the  water  being  shallow,  he  was  in  no 


142 


THE    CHRISTMAS    TREE. 


danger  of  being  drowned,  or  his  adventure  might 
have  ended  more  seriously.  In  a  little  while  he  was 
pulled  out  of  the  pond,  all  wet  and  benumbed  with 
cold.     It  was  a  lesson  he  did  not  soon  forget. 


MAGIC  PICTURE. 

ET  two  level  pieces  of  glass,  (plate- 
glass  is  the  best)  exactly  the  same 
size,  lie  one  on  the  other,  leaving  a 
space  between  them  by  pasting  a 
piece  of  card  at  each  corner.  Join 
these  glasses  together  at  the  edges 
composition  of  white  of  egg,  mixed 
lime  slaked  by  exposure  to  the  air. 
Cover  all  the  edges  with  parchment,  or  blad- 
der, except  one  end,  which  is  to  be  left  open 
to  admit  the  following  composition. 
Dissolve  at  a  slow  fire,  six  ounces  of  hog's 
lard  with  half  an  ounce  of  white  wax,  to  which 
may  be  added  one  ounce  of  clear  linseed  oil.  This 
must  be  poured,  while  liquid,  between  the  glasses  at 
the  end  that  is  open,  which  must  then  be  closed  up 
like  the  other  sides ;  after  this,  fasten  with  gum  a 
picture  or  print,  painted  on  very  thin  paper,  with  its 
face  to  one  of  the  glasses.  While  the  mixture  be- 
tween the  glasses  is  cold,  the  picture  will  be  quite 
concealed,  but  will  become  transparent  when  held 
to  the  fire.     The  glasses  may  be  fixed  in  a  frame. 


PRIDE.  143 


PRIDE. 

A  FABLE. 

THISTLE    once,   puffed    up   with 

pride, 
Grew  near  an  humble  pansy's  side, 

Within  a  garden  fair ; 
How  came  he  there,  I  cannot  tell : 
He  left  a  quiet,  peaceful  dell, 

To  bloom  'mid  blossoms  rare. 


And  now  he  held  his  head  so  high, 
With  fairer  buds  he  seemed  to  vie, 

And  treat  them  with  disdain  ; 
He  shook  his  leaves  and  raised  his  head, 
"  I  am  the  fairest  here,"  he  said  ; 

"  I  've  reason  to  be  vain. 

"  My  purple  buds  and  flowers  are  bright, 
My  leaves,  though  prickly,  charm  the  sight, 

My  stem  is  straight  and  tall ; 
I  hate  those  little  pallid  flowers, 
That  venture  near,  within  these  bowers, — 

I  'm  fairer  than  them  all. 


"  How  could  I  live  afar  so  long, 
The  wild  and  vulvar  buds  among? 


144  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

Really,  I  blush  to  think, 
How  amid  daisies,  herbs,  and  grass, 
My  parents  lived  for  years,  alas ! 

Near  to  yon  streamlet's  brink." 

"  Oh,  thistle,"  then,  the  pansy  said, 
"  Go  hide  your  vain  and  foolish  head, 

Your  day  will  soon  be  o'er ; 
Return  you  to  your  mother's  side, 
And  there  forget  your  silly  pride, 

And  venture  here  no  more. 

"  Believe  me,  modesty  will  gain 

Love,  that  your  charms  will  ne'er  obtain, 

However  bright  and  fair; 
And  why  despise  the  humble  flowers, 
That  bloom  beneath  the  summer  showers, 

And  nature's  kindness  share  V9 

The  thistle,  angry,  vain,  and  proud, 
Stooped  to  address  the  neighboring  crowd 

Of  pansies  growing  round. 
When  lo  !  the  gardener  came  and  said, 
"  How  dare  you  bloom  within  this  bed  V 

And  struck  him  to  the  ground. 

And  as  the  foolish  flowret  died, 

He  felt  how  silly  was  the  pride, 

That  lured  him  from  the  dell, 


PRIDE. 


145 


Where  peaceful  still  he  might  have  been, 
'Mid  herbs  and  buds  of  verdure  green, 
There  amid  friends  to  dwell. 

Oh,  ye  who  read  my  simple  tale, 
Attend  the  expiring  thistle's  wail : 
Think  how  he  bent  his  dying  head, 
And  think  of  what  the  pansy  said  : 
No  beauty  of  the  form  or  face, 
Is  loved  like  worth  and  modest  grace. 


10 


146  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


THE  LION  AND  THE  ASS. 

N  the  days  of  old  Esop,  it  once  came 
to  pass 

That  a  lion  saw  fit  to  make  friends 
with  an  ass; 

"  For,"  said  he,  "  I  well  know,  by  my- 
self, he  can  bray 

In  such  style  as  to  strike  all  the  beasts 
with  dismay." 

Now  you  take  the  rear,  I'll  proceed  to  the 
van," 

Said  the  lion, "  then  make  the  worst  noise  that  you  can ; 
They  '11  be  seized  with  a  panic,  I  have  not  a  doubt, 
Which  will  end  in  their  total  dispersion  and  rout." 

So  the  ass  brayed  a  tune  which  he  thought  would 

succeed, 
When  the  cattle  made  off  with  incredible  speed  ; 
Then  the  lion  fell  on  them  and  made  them  his  prey ; 
"  Only  think,"  said  the  donkey, "  how  well  I  can  bray." 

"  Well,"  said  he  to  the  lion,  "  pray  how  did  it  do?" 
"  Indeed,"  said  that  beast, "  Sir,  you  frightened  me  too ; 
And,  had  I  not  known  it  before,  I  protest, 
I,  myself,  should  have  run  with  all  speed,  like  the  rest." 


THE  LAMPLIGHTER. 


(148) 


THE    LAMPLIGHTER.  149 


THE  LAMPLIGHTER. 


HAT  a  funny,   dirty  looking   old 
man  !     That  is  a  picture  of  a  lamp- 
lighter, of  the  city  of  Paris,  who 
lived    a    great   while    ago,   when 
Louis  the  Sixteenth  was  the  King 
of  France.     All  lamplighters,  then, 
were  like  the  one  in  the  picture.     See  how 
greasy   he   looks !     Well,  that   is   because 
they  then   burned  oil  in  the  street   lamps. 
They  did  not  know  how  to  make  gas  then, 
and  were  obliged  to  use  oil,  or  candles. 
These  gave  a  very  poor  light,  and  at  night,  the 
streets  were  almost  dark,  so  that  it  was  dangerous 
to  go  out  alone  for  fear  of  being  robbed. 

The  lamplighters  in  those  days  used  to  hang  the 
lamp  upon  a  rope,  which  they  either  stretched  from 
house  to  house  across  the  street,  or  passed  through 
a  pulley  or  loop  at  the  top  of  a  high  post.  They 
thus  kept  the  light  suspended  several  feet  from  the 
ground,  by  means  of  a  heavy  weight  which  they 
fastened  to  the  other  end  of  the  rope. 

This  was  a  very  poor  way,  and  not  half  so  good 


150 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


as  the  present  one.  Now,  in  our  great  cities  they 
have  a  hollow  iron  post,  about  eight  feet  high,  which 
is  attached  to  a  pipe  running  under  ground  from  the 
place  the  gas  is  made,  through  which  the  fluid  is 
conducted.  At  the  top  of  this  post  is  a  small  tube 
through  an  opening  in  which  the  gas  burns. 

This  is  surrounded  by  a  glass  case,  to  prevent  the 
wind  from  blowing  out  the  flame,  and  the  light  thus 
made  is  very  brilliant,  making  the  side-walks  and 
streets  very  light,  even  on  the  darkest  night.  So 
you  see  they  have  made  great  improvements  in 
lamps  as  well  as  everything  else.  First  they  burned 
candles,  then  oil,  and  now  they  burn  gas.  This  re- 
minds one  of  what  a  Frenchman  once  said,  "  Every- 
thing brilliant,  is  short-lived  in  this  world !  The 
candle  first  gave  place  to  oil,  and  oil  has  at  last 
given  place  to  gas !" 


THE  ENGLISH  CABRIOLE! 


THE   ENGLISH    CABRIOLET. 


153 


THE  ENGLISH  CABKIOLET. 


.OU  can  see  what  a  pretty  carriage 
'the  Cabriolet  is,  by  looking  at  the 
picture.  The  one  you  see  there  is 
a  new  invention,  and  different  from 
the  one  first  made  by  the  French. 
The  French  Cabriolet,  had  but  two 
wheels,  and  only  one  seat.  The  driver 
always 'occupied  a  part  of  this  seat,  and 
as  he  was  sometimes  not  very  clean,  it 
was  rather  unpleasant  for  a  gentleman  or 
lady  to  sit  close  by  him,  as  they  were 
obliged  to  do.  Yet  people,  when  they  were  in  a 
hurry  to  get  to  any  place,  used  to  hire  a  Cabriolet, 
for  it  was  so  light  that  they  could  get  along  faster 
in  it  than  any  other  kind  of  a  carriage. 

The  English  Cabriolet  is  an  improvement  upon 
the  old  French  one.  It  has  four  wheels,  which  makes 
it  less  apt  to  upset,  and  has  also  two  seats,  so  that 
persons  can  talk  in  the  back  seat  without  being 
overheard  by  the  driver,  who  sits  in  front,  upon  a 
high  seat  or  box,  as  it  is  called. 

This  kind  of  conveyance  is  much  used  in  London, 
10 


154  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

and  in  Paris  now,  because  of  its  convenience ;  for  it 
has  a  top  or  covering,  which  can  be  raised,  by- 
means  of  the  hinges  upon  which  it  turns,  in  case  of 
a  rain  or  storm.  This  top  can  be  let  down  in  a  fair 
day,  or  whenever  the  person  riding  chooses ;  so  he 
can  or  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  his  carriage. 

You  will  take  a  ride  in  one  of  these  curious  Cab- 
riolets, some  day,  if  you  ever  go  to  any  great  city, 
won't  you  ?  You  can  then  see  how  beautifully  and 
conveniently  they  are  made.  See  how  proud  the 
driver  looks  as  he  cracks  his  long  whip ! 


A#» 


(156) 


TRAVELLING    AMONG    THE    ALPS.  157 


TRAVELLING  AMONG  THE  ALPS. 


OOK   at   those  rough  overhanging 
rocks  !     See  how  dismal  that  moun- 
tain road  appears !     Those  are  the 
^Alps  of  Italy.     They  are  celebrated 
for  being  very  high  and  rugged. 
Their  summits  are  covered  with 
snow,  while  the  valleys  at  their  feet  are  beau- 
tiful and  green. 

Flowers  grow  in  the  little  crevices  where 
the  sun's  rays  make  the  thin  soil  warm  and 
fertile,  while  within  a  few  feet,  ice  and  snow- 
banks overhang  the  rugged  rocks. 

It  is  very  fatiguing  to  travel  among  these  high 
mountains ;  for  there  are  no  carriage  roads,  and 
they  are  obliged  to  ride  upon  mules. 

The  Alps  were  once  thought  to  be  impassable  ;  but 
Hannibal,  a  great  general,  who  lived  hundreds  of 
years  ago,  crossed  them  with  his  whole  army.  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte  also  crossed  them,  but  a  few  years 
since,  with  thousands  of  soldiers.  They  dragged 
their  cannons  up  the  steep  ascents  in  sledges,  to 
which  were  attached  ropes  that  they  passed  around 
their  bodies. 


158  THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


THE  BEE. 


UM,  hum,  busy  bee, 
Where  your  home  is,  I  must  see ; 
I  will  follow  where  you  go, 
Till  I  find  it  out,  I  know. 

I  have  heard  how  nice  and  well, 
You  plan  out  each  honey  cell ; 
But  I  want  to  see  myself, 
If  you'll  let  me,  little  elf. 


Now  you  stop,  some  tale  to  tell, 
To  the  pretty  blue  berry  bell ; 
She  '11  return  her  thanks  to  you, 
With  a  sup  of  honey  dew. 

I  won't  listen ;  let  me  be 

Near  enough  your  wings  to  see : 

So  pray  do  not  use  your  sting,  * 

Though  you  are  a  jealous  thing. 

What !  so  quickly  off  again  ; 

I  should  think  you  called  in  vain  ; 

It  don't  take  you  long  to  show 

Your  handsome  coat,  and  graceful  bow. 

Oh !  I  've  lost  you  now,  I  fear, 
Or  perhaps  your  hive  is  near  ; 


THE   BEE.  159 

And  I  think  that  it  may  be, 
In  the  hollow  of  that  tree. 

I  am  half  afraid  to  see ; — 

Lest  you  think  some  enemy, 

To  steal  away  your  store  has  come, 

And  drive  you  from  your  anxious  home. 

No,  I  love  you  far  too  well  ; 

I  have  heard  my  mother  tell, 

Of  a  little  German  girl, 

With  large  dark  eye,  and  glossy  curl : 

Who  loved  the  birds  and  bees  so  much, 
That  she  did  not  fear  to  touch, 
With  her  little  hand  the  cell, 
Where  they  hived  the  honey  well. 

Sometimes  on  her  head  she'd  bind 
All  the  blossoms  she  could  find  ; 
Then  the  bees  would  round  her  swarm ; 
They  had  learned  to  fear  no  harm. 

Oft  she  lay  beneath  some  tree, 
Just  as  still  as  she  could  be ; 
And  warbled  out  some  pretty  notes, 
Such  as  come  from  birdies'  throats, 

Till  they  grew  to  love  her  so, 
They  would  come  and  listen  too ; 
Once  a  little  mousie  came, 
Then  crept  slyly  back  again. 


160  THE   CHRISTMAS   TREE. 

&  Never  did  she  harm  a  thing, 
So  she  seldom  got  a  sting ; 
And  she  loved  all  nature  so, 
That  she  heard  sweet  music  flow, 

From  the  little  running  brook  ; 
And  in  every  shady  nook, 
Some  sweet  bird  or  flower  was  near, 
To  whisper  sweet  words  in  her  ear. 

Always,  this  dear,  silent  grove, 
Makes  me  think  of  those  I  love ; 
Till  I  quite  forget  the  bees  ; 
And  lie  down  beneath  the  trees, 

And  think  those  sweet  things  o'er  and  o'er, 
And  wish  mamma  would  tell  me  more : 
So  little  bee,  you  've  flown  away, 
I'll  find  your  hive  another  day. 

For  the  sun  is  sinking  low, 
Homeward  I  will  quickly  go. 
Grove,  and  bees,  and  birdies  too, 
Dear  good  night,  to  all  of  you. 


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